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My beginning in Ethiopia
After long preparations at last I arrived in Ethiopia. Everybody welcomed me very cordially. Our Comboni Lay Missionary Madzia came from Awassa to pick me up at the airport, help me and explain everything at the beginning of my stay. Together with Father Sixtus and Father Julio (the Ethiopian Provincial) we made the decision that I would go to Awassa the next day. The first plan established was that I would learn Amharic in the capitol for at least 3 months. It turned out a new Amharic course is starting in June, so I could spend the time first getting to know my destination Awassa, the community and language’s basics. This information was a very nice surprise for me. My new community received me very kindly. Madzia, Maggie and Mark help me as much as they can. The three children of Maggie and Mark cause much joy and life. The kids also accepted me as a new member of their community. Awassa is a big city, however it’s peaceful and picturesque. Now I’m getting to know the place, the local people and missionaries’ jobs.
Last week we celebrated Easter. It wasn’t only a time to meet with the Risen Lord, but also an interesting experience of my new cultures celebration’s which is fulfilled by different surprising elements. The Catholic Church in Ethiopia has a lot in common with the Orthodox Church. We obviously spent Easter in our community. We cultivated two Polish traditions: egg painting and Easter Breakfast on Easter Sunday.
I’m starting learning Amharic this week. I’m going to have three classes per week with a professional teacher and five classes with a tutor- a local boy who speaks English. If I’m satisfied with the schooling system, maybe I will continue my studies here, in Awassa. In that case I could stay at home. A big challenge is waiting for me now – learning Amharic language!
Magda Fiec, CLM in Ethiopia
Third meeting of the Faith and Cooperation Foundation (Portugal)
The weekend of 13 and 14 February took place at Fatima the formation of the 3rd FEC (Fe Foundation and Cooperation) Meeting with the theme “Missions, cultures and religions” in which we had the pleasure of having as trainer the Provincial of the Comboni missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, father Jose Vieira. As in other meetings, a wide variety of institutions, groups and missionary organizations were present. We thank God for the presence of all, for the fraternal union and joy that always happens when we are meeting in His name.
In this meeting the main message was the importance of going to meet the other. Go to meet them involves knowing them and knowing their culture. In addition, this meeting of cultures often means that, for a moment, we forget ourselves, our cultural habits and routines that are so natural in us. Accept the other and its culture is a necessary challenge for the full experience of the love of God in mission lands. More than witnesses of God, He invites us to follow his example, be living gospel of love. And for this, we must know the people, their culture and their customs … we should inculturated to love people in a full form.
In fact, Jesus is the true example of inculturation. He, who to witness the infinite reach of His love for us became man like us. Following his example, we must not only respect but to know and participate in culture, routines and habits of the place where we go. However, this is more complicated than we think, in first place, because we are all inherently ethnocentric and see the world from us, from our experience and our culture. However, we can never forget that cultural diversity is a gift loved and respected by God. Each of us comes with everything that is conform: defects, qualities, life history, culture, and our faith is the result of a personal relationship with God. However, it is important not to forget that cultures that welcome and receive us are sacred territory to which we must barefoot sandals of pre-judgments and preconceptions. From this arises the importance of learning the language, learn the culture, learn, especially, to celebrate and be with people sharing our lives with them. Therefore, go to a new culture requires availability to be born again, learning life differently.
During this meeting, on 13 February we had the honor of thanking God for the life of Marisa, who turned 23 years old. We thank God for the grace to walk and celebrate life at her side. Life gets bigger and better when we are surrounded by people with God in their heart.
Marisa and Paula
Forgive us our debts!
From 22 to 24 of April, I participated in Uberlandia, a city of Minas Gerais, in the Regional Prison Pastoral Assembly, an annual meeting that brings together all representatives of the State of Minas Gerais who work in this ministry. The theme was: Ecumenism, Justice and Mercy.
A justice who is the mother of peace, justice that is done with Mercy and Truth, justice is not only done with reason, not only with the heart, but Justice which is reason and heart together.
Justice often suffer from a stifling bureaucracy, old and conservative, a corruption that is evil in the world, who forgets to be restorative, seeking the good of all, to be punitive and elitist. There is an African proverb that says “in the trials you should go with a sewing needle and not with a knife to cut”, a justice that works to bring the lost humanity, even when you are guilty, because only through an act of mercy and not of condemnation will come the change, life and hope. If I did not believe it, I could not do my missionary service in the Prison Pastoral Care, where three times a week I meet the prisoners of male and female prison. It is my daily Gospel, where the wounds of guilt bleed and cause pain to whom committed the crime and to whom received it: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”.
To know how to forgive, to listen, through a journey that is done together, guilty and victim, through a reconciliation that completely changes your life, the weight of guilt and the weight of hatred.
In the days of the Assembly, I strongly felt my commitment to this path, as well as my colleagues who volunteer in prisons. None of us receives a salary, or admiration from people, on the contrary, they see us as “friends of the bandits and vagabonds” because the prisoners are considered the world’s waste, an evil to be eradicated rather to recover.
Everything we do is the result of our passion and our conviction of faith for a prison which can educate and not just punish, which can be more dignified and respectful, who knows how to create mercy and peace.
Brazil ranks fourth among countries with the highest number of prisoners in the world, after the United States, Russia and China. Human rights are not welcome in Brazilian prisons and other prisons in the world, this is also our “struggle” for full recognition.
Overcrowding, nonexistent sanitation, mice make detainees company, physical and psychological violence, illegal activities. All this happens when you visit prisons, where humanity and legality have no meaning in a complete contradiction with a structure create to rebuild and secure these values. These are the reflections, proposals and commitments we talked in our meeting, which encouraged and inspired our YES to this pastoral, remembering that there is no crime or sin that can eliminate man from the heart of the Merciful God.
Emma, CLM
Easter mission field.
We confirm that God is tenderness and mercy and that young people are very committed to the suffering people.
The CLM group of Guadalajara attended the invitation of the fathers Gustavo Covarrubias and David Tena, to attend the 2016 mission field in Tala Jalisco. We joined the “exodus” youth group. The preparation was carried out a few weeks earlier through readings and a spiritual retreat during which we agreed with the youth and the fathers the work program. We recognize the good logistics because we gave us schedules, materials and rosaries blessed to be offered to the sick; as well as instructions in case anyone wanted to confess, receive communion and extreme unction.
During Holy Week, during the mornings we attend individually to a catechetical center to support catechists in exposing the central theme of the week that was Mercy, we make dynamics and tasks with children. By midmorning, we split into teams of 6 or 7 people to go to the hospital, nursing home or prison respectively.
We visited patients in bed in the hospital, we prayed and sang. Sick appreciated our presence, some shared with us about their illness and the relationship with their family. At first, the enthusiastic young wanted to do acts of magic and clowns dressed but it could not be, still made it feel a very lively atmosphere. We spent even more than an hour with a patient who did not want to let us go. We took letters of encouragement to the sick and congratulations to the moms who had just had her baby.
In the asylum, similarly, we greeted everybody, meet the elders, we prayed with them, and make dynamics to meet each other, read the Bible, or played board games like the lottery. People had a lot of openness and trust to share their sorrows, their joys and what they were experiencing. The help of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us with words of love and peace was always noticed.
In the prison, they only authorized us to visit a group of prisoners. With them, we made dynamics and reflections on scripture passages like the prodigal son, the crucifixion and death of Jesus. An activity was to read the letter that the dam from Cd. Juarez addressed to Pope Francis. Some received the sacrament of confession and Father David celebrated the Eucharist. After the visit, we ate something with them to promote coexistence. You could tell that our presence cheered them, gave them hope and desire to move forward.
In the evenings, families of people greeted us at home to feed us, always giving us the best they had. After lunch, we moved to the chapel corresponding us in groups of three or four to give talks to young people and adults about the Easter Triduum and the Mercy of God, during which there was very good participation.
Each of us participated in the activities of the Easter Triduum in the different chapels; just a few met on Friday while participating in the way of the Cross at the parish center.
This experience was very nice, to known healthy young people with supportive ideas and expressing great tenderness. We also believe that they were happy to share with us and with all the work we did. We adapt to teamwork and we could see their responsibility in the way they work, they were very active and attentive, shared their joy, dancing, singing and shouting. We keep the sweetness of knowing that if they persevered with that dedication and love, will get very far in the love of God and his brothers.
Adri, Oli and Mire. CLM Mexico
