Alberto de la Portilla – Page 181 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Walking with Comboni

10 July, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

Hello fellow travelers, peace be with you!

These days was held the MCCJ Assembly in the Province of Mozambique. As Comboni Family, the Comboni Sisters and the CLM, we were invited to attend the first two days. This allowed us to better meet our Province and the Comboni Missionaries who are working here.

Being celebrating this jubilee year of the 150th anniversary of the Plan of Comboni, we start with a reflection presented by Father Vitor Dias, former in the novitiate of Santarém, Portugal. How to dream, to experience, to announce: Christ, Comboni and the joy of the Gospel today, in our daily lives, in our actions?

Among us, we were sharing our feelings, our experiences of Christ in the mission, and so, as craftspeople made a mat, we were sharing this reflection. I leave here, knowing that many things remain to be said, a few points:

We are invited, as Comboni, to encounter God, without letting our own tasks to bind us, so that with Him, remain in this attitude: “I am here for whatever you want me”, so let ourselves, therefore, every day, inspire, love, excite, challenge, by the Lord of the Mission.

A meeting methodology, that allows us to live the Pastoral of Meeting with the people in an attitude of listening and dialogue. Daring to live the mission as a “salute”, a beginning to “walk” with the communities, so that in the informal meetings, we announce Christ and allow ourselves to be evangelized by the people who welcome us.

Will you remember the attitude of Pope Francisco that leaving the car went to the old woman? Will it not result of greater impact, greater proclamation of Christ, than a thousand words spoken into a microphone?

For that, we also must leave our “car”, strip us of what we are and have (training, lifestyle, personal experiences), to find one another, our community and the people that welcomed us, from the essence of what the people are. It is an invitation to an attitude of humility; find the other starting from him. A major challenge, isn´t it?

Plan of Comboni, reproduction or upgrade? We would say that the two attitudes. An attitude of reproduction in relation to the Plan of Comboni in what is its highest expression: the freedom of the human person. On the other hand one of the fundamental aspects of the Plan is the dimension of Today. A plan that it is not just paper, but actions that generate life, a life that we want in abundance. For this it is essential starting from what is already built and contextualize our reality today, where we are. We try to leave the “old” to start the “new” from a continuous attitude of discernment.

Which is the new attitude? What we bet? Building structures or build with people? Stone buildings or human constructions?

The challenge is released: Let us not become mere administrators of created structures but seek, invent new possibilities, without fear, with hope and confidence, not in an attitude of “who comes to give”, but who “comes to learn and walk together”.

Seize the wealth of diversity, so that we can set the pace for a mission in increased collaboration and mutual assistance with the people we work, so they are increasingly the protagonists of the mission and their lives.

We leave you with the question: “How do we incarnate the Gospel today?”

With the knowledge that none of us has it all and that no culture drains the Gospel, we walk with the fear of walker and the heart full of trust in the Lord of the mission, which calls us to face the challenges with confidence and optimism.

“Peace be with you” and “Do not be afraid!”

I wait for you in Mozambique 😉

Márcia Costa. CLM in Mozambique.

Magda Plekan, “New” Comboni Lay Missionary

7 July, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

On the 27-29 of June we had the last CLM meeting before holydays during which we concluded our formation year. This was special meeting not only for the CLM group but for the all Comboni Family as well.

On the 27^th of June during the Holy Mass of Solemnity of Sacred Heart of Jesus, presided by Fr. Maciek Miąsik, Magda Plekan officially entered into group of CLM Community. The most important moment was the official reading of her prayer as free act and wish to join the community of CLM.

It was big celebration for all our community, although young in age courageously answered the call of God. We are proud and happy for Magda, who beside to Danka, Ewa, Asia and Monika is already fifth Polish full member of the community of Comboni Lay Missionaries. All the girls and all international community of CLM we embrace with our prayer and we wish them unfading enthusiasm taking as their model S. Daniel Comboni.

During the Eucharistic Celebration on Saturday we celebrated missionary sending for monthly experience of our group of seven people. Zuza, Magda, Kasia, Piotrek, Maciek and sister Ula under the eye of fr. Maciek will spend one month in Africa experiencing a bit of missionary life discerning their own vocation.

On Sunday we’ve heard the testimony of Magda, our new CLM. She underlined that the community was very important for her during the missionary experiences and how important is prayer which unites. She shared with us how looked like her way to decide to enter to CLM community. She underlined that during the discernment is important patience and trust in God.

We thank God for Magda and her vocation to be a CLM.

CLM group of Poland

With our hearts in the mission

26 June, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

P._Enrique_Sanchez

“I do not want to hide from you here that when the Holy See entrusted this vast and difficult Mission to me, my conscience was somewhat uneasy, for I was aware of my limitations with regard to this enormous mandate that God has entrusted to me through His august Vicar Pius IX. Then I realized that with our forces we will never succeed in founding Catholicism in these immense regions where the Church, despite the efforts of so many centuries, has never been successful. So I placed all my trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and have decided to consecrate the whole Vicariate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on 14^th September next. I have sent a circular letter for this purpose, to make it a great solemnity, and I have asked that admirable apostle of the Sacred Heart, Fr Ramière, to compose the act of solemn Consecration, which he has completed.”(Writings3318).

Dear confreres,

As the feast of the Sacred Heart approaches, I wish to share with you this brief reflection to help us prepare for this celebration, fixing our eyes on that open Heart from which our missionary vocation is born, to draw the strength we need at this point of our journey as heirs of St. Daniel Comboni.

On 31 July, 1873, St. Daniel Comboni wrote a letter to Mgr. Joseph De Girardin from which I have taken the text with which I am starting my reflection. I chose it because it seems to me to contain some elements that correspond to this moment of our life and our mission and merit some reflection on our part.

As in those days, it is not difficult to affirm that the mission entrusted to us continues to be vast and laborious; it often seems to us to be even more demanding and beyond our strength. This – and I do not delay in saying it – is of no help to living it out responsibly and effectively.

The past thirty years have seen remarkable developments in the Institute. In its process of growth, it became involved in many sectors, on many fronts and in many and varied missionary situations whose vastness is plain to see. The immense Vicariate of Central Africa has become even broader with our presence in four continents and such a variety of missionary commitments as to make us feel we are present on all the fronts of the mission. For some of us, this fact is positive and seems to fill the need of boosting one’s ego, making us think we are great missionaries because we bring the Gospel to the four corners of the planet and to all the suburbs of humanity, to use an expression dear to Pope Francis.

To its vastness we must add laboriousness, the complexity of a mission that is demanding, challenging and undergoing profound change due to the frenetic pace of change in the world and in society. The mission is changing without allowing us the time to understand how to react and the great danger seems to be the inability, on our part, to anticipate these mutations.

However, the laboriousness inherent in mission today becomes a challenge to our creativity, our ability to question and to dream so as to take new paths that make us walk in unknown and unheard-of lands – as we were told some time ago – inviting us to avoid living on what we have inherited, which may deceive us with the pretence of missionary omnipotence.

Comboni, in that letter of 1873, said he was uncertain as he knew his own nothingness. Today, we too are becoming more aware of our nothingness. Not only because the statistics show that the numbers of our personnel are decreasing. I do not think it is simply a question of numbers. I believe that this nothingness may make us understand that our forces will never be sufficient to respond to the demands of the mission and that the Lord does not think in terms of numbers.

Where, then, should we turn our gaze and from where shall we draw strength and light to live radically our Comboni missionary vocation?

I think that, today, our nothingness must be measured by looking at the quality of our lives, our coherence in carrying out personal commitments and the life-options we have made, at our ability to avoid being superficial in living out our religious consecration for the mission, at our complete willingness to go and serve the poorest, at our freedom to avoid being confused by the facile suggestions of our world: consumerism, appearance, superficiality, etc.

Without reference to anyone in particular and with no desire to rebuke anyone, I think that each of us must recognise his own poverty, his own fragility and his own limits and the temptation to make of the mission something that is useful to me rather than that reality which calls me to give myself unconditionally and without using pretence to make it become a “mission made to measure”.

I have the greatest admiration for confreres who live with great enthusiasm, dedication and spirit of sacrifice in situations of unspeakable violence and danger. They are the hidden stones needed – as Comboni reminds us – to build up the mission. It is in the light of this testimony that we must measure our response to the call we have received and to discover how great, strong and capable we may be in order to embrace the mission entrusted to us today.

Comboni says in all humility: “I thought that with our forces we would never succeed”. It was not an expression of discouragement but rather the conviction that he was carrying with him a mission that does not depend on us. “Then I threw all my trust upon the Heart of Jesus”. Perhaps, or, rather, without doubt, now is the time for us to experience this abandonment and trust, of faith and openness to the plan of God in our lives, and this does not mean hiding ourselves in a spirituality that takes us out of reality or absolve us from the responsibility of being involved in building up the Kingdom.

Trust in the sacred Heart of Jesus is still, for us today, the challenge that obliges us to get our hands dirty with the transformation of our humanity by means of our missionary service, not forgetting that the only true protagonist of mission is, and always will be, the Lord.

If Comboni willed to consecrate his Vicariate to this Heart, which is nothing else than the unlimited love of God for us and all those to whom he sends us as his missionaries, I think it is worthwhile living this feast by renewing our availability so that the Lord may carry out his plan for us, recognising that the mission that is born of his Heart has a good future ahead of it. It is for this reason that we must trust that the Lord will not disappoint us.

Happy Feast day to you all.

P. Enrique Sánchez G. mccj

Greetings from Africa!!!

23 June, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

kampala1

Finally our dreams have come true. We are in Africa again. We’ve lived at the Provincial House in Kampala since Saturday. We’ll spend here about 2 weeks. Our time is filled mostly by visiting different places and meeting new people. Little by little we enter in the atmosphere and culture of Uganda. Everything is new, everything delights us, there are so many things to see, to get to know that sometimes it is impossible to remember everything, especially names. But slowly, slowly we’re learning everything.

We’re very happy that we can be here. At every step we feel like at home. People always surprise us with their openness, hospitality, help and kindness.

kampala3

In the first week we were able to visit several communities and see some of the projects implemented by the Comboni not only in Kampala. And we also met the CLM who live and work in Kampala. They have their own house where their meetings are held and in which some of them also live. Some have their own families, so they live in another place, but every day they come to the CLM house. At the beginning they told us about themselves, about the CLM in Uganda, in which places they work, what they do and how is their formation. Immediately we felt like at home, we feel that we are one community, which has the same goal and the same motivation. Thanks to them, we also have the opportunity to learn about the life and culture in Uganda because they offered us a series of meetings on various topics. Thanks to this we get to know the atmosphere in Kampala, in Uganda.

We are also waiting for brother Elio, who returns from holiday and with him we’ll go to Gulu, the place where we spend the next two years. We cannot wait to see our mission…, but we have to be patient. At the moment we are trying to take advantage of the time we spend in Kampala. We are getting to know the fathers, but also the Comboni sisters who live here. Of course, everyone knows Gulu, so from them also we receive information about our new home – St. Jude orphanage. We got to know the history, but also the most important problems which we’ll meet for sure. Such meetings are very fruitful, because each person gives their advices; thanks to this we are getting more knowledgeable about St. Jude, but also a variety of initiatives in which we can get involved.

Greetings and big hugs for all the CLM

Asia and Ewa

[Central African Republic] My first day in the mission

19 June, 2014 by Alberto de la Portilla

After 3 days in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, to address the problems of documentation for obtaining a letter of residence in the country and also to accompany Élia and Teresa, my colleagues in the Mission, who had to buy food supplies, medicines, fuel, etc., we depart on the 24/05 at 6:00 am, to Mongoumba place of my destiny. On the road we came across the MISCA soldiers who were there to control the inputs and outputs, and still other groups of “popular militias” hitchhiking to collect “tolls”, money for their livelihood. We made several stops to visit some communities of sisters who are on their way, and especially to greet the Bishop of this Diocese M’Baiki, primarily responsible for this portion of the flock of Christ, the Church. I had a warm welcome and he gave me some advice, especially to be available to “serve” the people. We arrived to Mongoumba about 17:30, where the Comboni Fathers were waiting for us, responsible for this mission, which embraced with love and joy, and that night offered me a “welcome dinner “.

My first day in the mission

I left my parish, where I receive the “missionary mandate” in the Good Shepherd Day (May 11, 2014), and it was the motto: “That all may have life in abundance.” That He (Good Shepherd) sends his collaborators around the world. And so I went from Portugal to Central African Republic with this eco vibrating in my soul. Give life, give joy, give love. “But the Lord, never outdone in generosity, wanted to give me a good gift in my first day in the Mission: “To live with these people the full joy, the true “life in abundance”. With Élia and father Jesus we went to a Christian community in which was held, during the Eucharist, the baptism of 11 young, 6 boys and 5 girls, the result of “life” that others surrender to generate these Sons of God and the Church. I felt at home, in the country of my dreams and my soul vibrating with joy, to live the Party, the real “Party of Life”. Who said or thought I came to deal with the bullets, or death? Here, life is breathed through every pore of the body and soul!

The Mass began with a procession to the beat of a song with hundreds of vibrant vocals, drums and dance. It was the party started. At the appropriate time were called the catechumens, with decisive and powerful voice answered the priest: “I want the baptism of the Church”. They were then baptized, one after another, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Then all leave the church and leave aside their old clothes and now dressed all in white, come back in procession to the altar of the church, singing and dancing, feeling the true joy of the children of God and the Church. Of the hands of their parents, received the lighted candle from the Paschal Candle to continue singing and dancing around the altar, holding, not the sword of death but the candlelight of life that was given to them from the Altar of Christ they surround with enthusiasm. It really touched me and I let a few tears roll. I looked at my watch and it was 10.15 hours, then remembered that it was celebrating Mass, also in my parish, Torredeita, with the difference that here had started at 9:00 am! I felt in tune with who I left, but deeply rooted in the people that the Lord provides me with such tenderness and benevolence.

At the time of consecration, were not the parents, but that the newly baptized that lit their own candles at Easter candle and make a crown around the altar, symbol of the guests for the wedding of the Lamb (Jesus Christ), who blew himself up to give them life. The Mass ended around noon; 3 hours party where everyone showed their smiling faces, a sign that they still wanted to continue.

Father Jesus took the opportunity to introduce me to the population as a well reinforces the community of missionaries, the servants of the People.

Élia was the photographer of the day, and at the end everyone were approaching her asking for a picture. Back home still Élia has to be “bad” and leave part of the passage of all those who want to return in the car, but they were so many that it was impossible. We got home three hours later. Élia asked: “Are you tired?” And I answered: “no, I’m very happy”. Maria Teresa was out with another priest and came later. However, it also came with an air of satisfaction.

And so began my first day of mission in the Central African Republic. A missionary hug to you all.

By Palmira Pinheiro