Alberto de la Portilla – Page 172 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Churches and mining in Latin America

2 June, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

A video of outcry and hope: open-pit mega mines, deforestation, eviction of families and whole communities. Indigenous peoples and traditional communities threatened by those interested in mining their territories. Pollution of the water, the land, and the air. Mining transportation channels impact hundreds of communities living along the pipelines or railways that export the vast majority of our minerals. Conflicts and protests, illegal surveillance and criminalization of leaders. Death and persecution of people, families, and entire communities.

Despite all of this, mining in Latin America continues to increase. National governments tied to the interests of big business have proven themselves to be allied with the multinational mining corporations—putting the country’s intelligence systems and security forces at their service and relaxing legislation to facilitate the expansion of these projects.

A number of affected communities are supported, advised, and defended by the churches, which have taken courageous positions in a variety of contexts. Recently they have been able to denounce these violations in a hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Christian leaders in Latin America are coming together to search for alternatives to the aggressions of mining.

“Churches and Mining” is a clamor of survival, resistance, and hope; the clamor of the communities, the clamor of life that will not let itself be uprooted.

http://youtu.be/uEKLw3x41qY

Churches and Mining is an ecumenical group of lay and religious women and men, committed to defending communities affected by mining in the different countries of the continent. Since 2013 the group has brought affected communities together amongst themselves, with the hierarchy of the churches that want and are able to support them, and with international human rights institutions.
[iglesiasymineria@gmail.com]

Aspirants CLM in Ghana meditating on faith

1 June, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

This 9^th May 2015, at our Centre, we reflected upon Faith through the help of our Chaplain. In fact, this meditation is the continuation of the topic we have started at our last meeting. The Rev. Fr shared with us some authors view and experience about Faith.

According to Thomas Merton:” Ultimately, faith is the only key to the universe. The final meaning of human existence and the answer to the questions on which all our happiness depends cannot be found in any other way.” For another author, faith is related to love and the two find their meaning in God. “For faith, says St Ignatius of Antioch, is the beginning and the end is love and God is the two of them brought into unity. After these come whatever else make up a Christian gentleman.” Faith says Father is not against reason. He supported that view quoting Armiger Barclay and Blaise Pascal. The early one said:” People only think a thing’s worth believing if it’s hard to believe.” The latter one declared that: ”Faith declares what the senses do not see but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them not contrary to them.” Father insisted on faith as a gift from God. We are capable of nothing, said Soren Kiekegaard, it is God that gives us everything. He is the one who gives us faith. Faith determines what we are and we are what is our faith says a Hindu proverb.

After this time of reflection and meditation, we were introduced to some lay people from Spain. They belong to an Association called Youcanyolé. They are Christian motivated by their faith which witness the Good News to the poor through their work. Indeed, they did marvelous works here at In My Father’s House especially at Lume where IMFH is having a clinic. Our encounter with them is to arouse our collaboration. They can constitute a link between us and the CLM group in Spain. We can also gain some of them to join our International Movement. After the short encounter with them, we moved forward. We got the feedback of our two friends that had some accidents. We also now have a Bank Account for our group. We decided of having the coming meeting on the 13^th June at Dadome, an out station of Mafi-Kumase where our chaplain resides. After this, we have our community meal.

Justin Nougnui, coordinator.

Mgr. Romero, a life and mission model for the Comboni Missionaries of America

20 May, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The delegates from America and Asia to the XVIII General Chapter, meeting in a continental assembly in Mexico City from 11 to 15 May, share their approach and reflection through an open letter addressed to those responsible for the Comboni Family on the occasion of the beatification of Mgr. Oscar Arnulfo Romero, to be celebrated on Saturday, 23 May, in El Salvador. Below is the letter of the missionaries.

Open Letter
from the Comboni Missionaries of America/Asia
on the Occasion of the Beatification of Bishop Romero

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As the delegates from America and Asia to the XVIII General Chapter we greet you fraternally. We wish to express our closeness to you and to share with you our reflections on the Beatification of Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero (Saturday, May 23, 2015). Without doubt this is an historic event of great importance for our Church. For this reason we would like to share our reflections on some aspects of this event:

The solemn beatification by the universal Church confirms what our people already believe and celebrate: Romero is a martyr. In this beatification we also celebrate the gift of their lives offered by so many other martyrs whose struggles we have perhaps never known about. We admire the courage and fidelity of those who will be beatified in Peru this coming December: Fr. Zbigniew Strzalkowski, Fr. Michael Tomaszeck and Fr. Alexander Dordi, victims of terrorism, as well as of hundreds of committed lay persons, catechists, men and women who obstinately defended human rights; they were adults, the elderly, youth and innocent children, religious and priests martyred for the love of Christ, the Church and the people in societies that regard themselves as Christians. The Reign of God is proposed to all to become the commitment of all. Like them Bishop Romero was a victim of the forces of evil embodied in the alliance of the economic, political and military powers that hold on to their illegitimate privileges against the struggle of the oppressed for freedom.
In a time of rapid and great changes in which we are called to rediscover the prophetic dimension of our faith and consecration, we wish to reaffirm that Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero is a model prophet for our time. The suffering of our defenseless brothers and sisters, violence in all forms that is increasing everywhere, and criminalizing human rights defenders are challenges to our prophetic commitment today.
To be a martyr cannot be improvised. With this affirmation we mean to highlight the profound mystic quality of Bishop Romero that was forged in the daily prayer by which he lived out his being a Christian, priest and pastor. His priestly spirituality is manifested in his Episcopal motto: “Sentire cum Ecclesia”. However since all spirituality is a journey of growth and docility to the Spirit, the martyrdom of Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ and the violence carried out by the military against the people, mark his process of conversion: from indifference/comfort to solidarity with the poorest and oppressed.
In Bishop Romero we discover the image of the Good Shepherd who fully identifies with his people and who suffers in his own flesh the abuses against the dignity of persons, who raises his voice to condemn injustice and preach peace, who prays for his brothers and sisters and loves them so much that he willingly gives up his life in the firm hope that his death will be a source of life for the Salvadoran people.
What meaning does this ecclesial event have for us today? The beatification of Bishop Romero presents him as a model of life and mission:

Interpreting reality in the light of faith should bring us to a personal and community conversion;
Evangelization includes commitment to the integral liberation of persons and peoples;
The evangelizer identifies in a radical way with the situation of the people in their sufferings and hopes;
The values of the Reign of God are always the utopia that enlightens the path of our missionary service;
Giving one’s life for the sheep gives tangible form to our vocation to follow the pierced Heart of the Good Shepherd who gave his life for his sheep.

Finding security as we trust in the words of the Gospel: “If the grain of wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it remains alone; but if it dies it produces much fruit” (John 1224), we want to invite you to create a new path of renewal and hope for ourselves and our peoples. In communion with all of you, in memory of Bishop Romero and of all the martyrs of America, and in particular Fr. Ezekiel Ramin, we firmly believe that the XVIII General Chapter that is now approaching offers us all an opportunity to renew ourselves in faithfulness to the charism of St. Daniel Comboni and in imitation of the martyrs of our church in America.
Mexico City, May 15, 2015

Mission-field Metlatónoc, Mexico 2015

17 May, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

This year 2015, the mission team have consisted of ten people, we went on Friday March 27 to Sunday April 5 to six communities in the mountains of Guerrero, all of them belongs to the parish of Metlatónoc: Llano del Nopal, Cocuilotlatzala, Buenavista, and San Pedro and San Pablo Atzompa. Carolina, who is on a mission permanently, participated accompanying the community of San Juan Huexoapa and Minerva (who is on community experience with Caro) went to El Paraiso.

Besides this week celebrations, we visit the families and share their joys and sorrows, leaned with alternative medicine in the community of Llano del Nopal. There was no lack of gathering with football matches or trips to the river, enthusiasm and youth participation, tolerance and support of the elderly, and the joy of children painting and sharing the material we prepared for them.

It was a great experience of openness, respect, teamwork, dialogue. A great moment to be available to the meeting and knowledge of other ways to celebrate Easter.

And the opportunity to be attentive and listen to what God wants to say to each one of us in a particular way, but also to his “Church” through this simple Church that allowed us to accompany and enrich each other.

We thank God for this beautiful experience and also for all the people who went to mission in different parts of Mexico, all the families of the communities that welcomed us, especially those who treated us with love, for all the Comboni family.

We share with you the celebrations and gatherings of this week in images.

CLM Mexico

Missionary CLM Meeting in Mexico – March 2015

14 May, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

With God’s grace the monthly meeting of the Mexican CLM took place, where we had a great gathering, laugh, sing, prayer. We pray the Holy Hour, have prayer of Lauds and participate in the Eucharist.

The focus was place on preparing the group to participate in the Easter mission field to Guerrero, where there is permanent MCCJ presence and also the CLM, with the presence of Carolina Carreon and Minerva Juarez in the community of San Juan Huexoapa. This mission is in the Diocese of Tlapa in Guerrero, in the parish of Metlatónoc. Father Gabriel talked about the willingness and openness with which the missionary must prepare, Eric told us about the customs and traditions of the people na saavi, Manuelita told us about the history of our permanent mission house, and Ramon shared with us his experience in mission field last year that his first time.

With great enthusiasm, we continue forward with the invitation to all who have the concern to be part of this project of the Comboni Lay Missionaries. Continuing with the ideal of St. Daniel Comboni.

Thousand lives for the mission.

CLM Mexico