English – Page 187 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

First recollection of the aspirants CLM in Ghana:

14 April, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

As decided at the preceding meeting, we had our recollection on this 21^st at Mafi-Kumase where our chaplain resides. The theme of the recollection was RECONCILIATION. The schedule of the day was as followed: first talk, a breakfast, confession and personal prayer, lunch, personal meditation, second talk and mass.

The development of the topic took three main parts: the definition of reconciliation, fertile grounds for reconciliation and the obstacles to reconciliation. Reconciliation is a gift from God. He is the initiator who searches for the lost ones for the restoration of harmony. Reconciliation is needed to better our relationship with God, each other and with ourselves. Father said that sins separate us from God. Among the fertile grounds, our Chaplain mentioned the admittance of responsibility, making up of the relationship, the need for the offender and the offended to see the necessity to better their relation, patience and tolerance, humility. The offended has to give to the offender the benefit of doubt. Those are some of the attitudes that lead to reconciliation. For the obstacles, he mentioned the stubbornness of the offender, the pride of both, shame, the sense of righteousness, intolerance, anger, guessing people’s hidden motives and the fact to retaliate. Sometimes, the culture also does not create a conducive environment for reconciliation. It is a fact where e.g. it is believed in some cultures that the elderly person cannot be wrong. For a younger one who is truly right to accept this part of the culture up to reconcile with his offender is a great challenge.

Before the mass, we decided on the coming meeting on the 11^th April. We also elected Vivian Mackenzie to be our treasurer. Just after the mass, we departed from the place.

Justin Nougnui, coordinator.

Letter from Gulu (Uganda)

12 April, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

Here in St Jude (Gulu), we are a community of 4 CLM who live and work here. We are very lucky, because around us live some Ugandan CLM, Comboni brothers, sisters and fathers who are much opened. We know that all the time we can count on them, when we need something they always help. We feel a big big support from them. Even when we had difficult time here, when we were a bit down, they came to us to give us a good word, to speak, to be with us. This particular moments showed us that we are really a family not only when is a big feast, celebration but we are together also in difficult and sad time. It was very nice to feel it.

We organised our community life, which is very important for us. Every day we discover how big blessing community is for each of us. It is nice to come back from work and speak, talk about doubts, about nice and bad moment, it is very nice to have this opportunity to share. Every one of us is involved in many things but we have our own community moments. We pray together every day. Each of us is responsible for one day per week and prepare evening prayer. We have our own small chapel in the house, so in the evening we gather there to pray, share and give thanks for every day, praying also for strength and love for next day. Wednesday is our community day what means we go together to the Mass that we offer for our community. Another time when we are together are during the meals. This is time when we can share our work, experience, ask about something, discuss and received advises.

Once a month we have a retreat day that is in Layibi. Sometimes we ask father to prepare something for us and sometimes we just go to think, to be calm and to pray in peace. Usually is half a day and later we have a chance to speak with fathers in Layibi to ask about a lot of things, to compare our experience, to received some advices from them, because they have long experience working among Acholi people.

We have created our first community project. We created this educational project for children to give them opportunity to go to school or to continue education. Education in Uganda is very expensive, parents must pay a lot of money and really, they do not have. So we decided to make this project for this kind of families, children. We included also our workers. Each of them could choose one child from family and we paid one term of school year. The same situation is with our mothers. Other part of our project is to support children for whole year. With the help of one of our worker, we chose 11 children from very poor families and we decided to support them for whole year. Of course, we chose children who are really good, whose results were good and who wanted to continued learning. All of them they are from Secondary School and their situation at home is very difficult. Most of them they are orphans, another with father who is drunker, another with many children so studying is impossible. So we support them paying them school fees and other requirements (like exams fees, uniforms).

About our work… I (Asia) still help bro. Elio to keep properly administration and account department. This kind of work I do it up to lunch break. Later I am a teacher and special need’s teacher. I try to introduce English, because our children have a big problem with that. I also work with one autistic girl, I try to find a communication channel with her. I want this lessons to let her grow up, spread horizons. I work also with older children. I prepare them to exams, the last exams in the school.

Ewa spend much time with the babies while their “mothers” work in the barn (before they were alone by the compound doing all sorts of “dangerous” things for them).

Also put some movies to the older kids that are a little “off the hook” for the kind of life that has been here more focused on the kids. Ewa is very in touch with everyone, and that we “drag” to play basketball, volleyball or whatever with them…

An institution level she is responsible for workers, to bring some control schedules. Also enjoys working with mothers in the physical work every day, putting corn, millet, beans and other things to dry, then you put them into the silos.

With older boys we have a beautiful project, we want together to put in order dormitories and prepare an special place for them inside with tables and chairs to allow them to read, draw and talk instead find them every time around the compound with nothing to do.

Carmen is ordering (with them) to “whitewash” the rooms, we painted the lockers, they were very old and faded colour, with the colours of the Ugandan flag, who elected them, and now we will put the names with “cool” letters.

After we want also to paint a scene (or some sports or movie) on one of the inside walls. We will use the projector to copy the image because of that all of them can help (obviously, everyone wants to participate).

I help with the organization of storage and distribution of food, clothing and other necessities for children. Everything is posted to better manage resources.

I like to work in the store like Ewa, we are very proud of how foods are perfectly placed, after much work, for use it in the dry season.
In our free time we enjoy sharing with children with mobility problems, for all of us they are very special.

Monica is doing a great job with them, physiotherapy to try to remove some of that rigidity that has blocked the majority. She is also doing gymnastics with children who have trouble mobilization but well “head” and they love it.

All enjoyed when sat together with them in the fresh atmosphere, with music, toys, changing position, with the help of lots of colourful cushions we have done with the old foam mattresses.

We felt at home despite some misunderstandings arising from the difference in our cultures, but the will is good and we are taking good care of each other. In times of difficulty, we greatly appreciate being together and being so well, we thank the community that we are.

As you can see, we are involved in many activities. Every day we try to find something different to do with children to change some routine. Every day we try to do our best to our best to make their lives better, happier and more interesting.

CLM in Gulu-Uganda

EASTER CLM Spain 2015: “Listening to God where life calls”

11 April, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

Under the slogan “Listen to God where life calls” met last week in Madrid the group of Comboni Lay Missionaries of Spain to celebrate Easter as a community.

There have been some intense days of prayer and encounter with the Lord in His Word, brothers, in nature … but not forgetting to look at the world and reality, with their hopes and pains, desires and proposals, with their stories … because as missionaries we are called to discover and listen to God where life is crying out.

From here, we thank everyone who made this event possible. Thanks for sharing and for being partners in our path.

Spanish CLM

Peace, joy, forgiveness, mission

10 April, 2015 by Antonio Villarino

A commentary on Jn 20, 19-31 Second Sunday of Easter, April 12th 2015

In this second Sunday of Easter we continue Reading the 20th chapter of John’s Gospel, which tells us what happened in that “first day of the week”, that is, at the beginning of the “new creation”, the new time in history that we are living as communities of Jesus’ disciples and missionaries. The experience of Jesus’ living presence among the disciples happens again eight days later, specifically meant for Thomas…, and it continues happening each Sunday (every eight days), when the Christian community gathers to celebrate the Lord’s presence.
The Gospel tells us that Thomas did not believe till he could see the hands and the wounded side of Jesus. It is precisely out of this “broken” side of Jesus, his totally self-given heart, that the Church springs up and the Spirit flows out into humanity with the wonderful gifts of peace, joy, forgiveness and mission. Let us see briefly:

1) “Peace to you”
Jesus says the traditional greeting words used by Jews and some other cultures even today. Nowadays, we would maybe say something like this: “Hello, how are you, I wish you peace and wellbeing”. Not too much? Well, I think it is quite a lot. I remember when Pope Francis, just elected, came out at the St. Peter’s balcony and simply said: “Buona sera” (Good evening). It was enough for the crowd to react with enthusiasm and great joy. There was no need for a big and profound speech; only that: a simple word of greeting conveying an attitude of openness and friendship.
With this, I consider the importance and beauty of a simple but loving greeting among the members of a family, re-asserting each day that care for each other that gives joy to life; I think of a respectful and positive greeting at the working place; I see that stretched out hand that we give during Mass recognising in our neighbour a brother or a sister, even if we do not know each other; I observe that kind of welcoming gesture or word to the foreigner… I think of the World peace that we need so badly in these times of violence and conflict. In all these situations, Jesus is the first one to tell me: “Hello, peace to you”. So that I myself can repeat the greeting to others.
It’s interesting to note that, as He was greeting the disciples, Jesus shows his hands and side with the signs of the torture He suffered. That means that the peace Jesus is offering is not a “cheap” one. It was “bought” with His own blood. That means that peace in the family, in the community, in the working place, in the world, is not always easy, it’s quite often a difficult task… But Jesus –and we with Him– was not a coward, but a “warrior”, with no fear to suffer if necessary.

2) Joy: “The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord”.
The presence of Jesus, with His peace, produces joy, as it does the arrival of a friend, or the mutual acceptance in the family or in the community. It’s not a “superficial” joy, that hides difficulties, problems or even sins; it’s not the joy of the one who lies to himself in a false reality or in unawareness.
It’s the joy of the one who feels respected and able to respect; the one who knows He is loved and able to love; the one who believes He is really a blessed child of the Father. It’s the deep joy of somebody who found a sense and a mission for his/her life. It’s the joy of somebody who met Jesus as a faithful friend, a trustful master, and a Lord that wins wrong with goodness.

3) Forgiveness: “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven”.
The joy of the disciple is not the joy of somebody that considers himself “prefect” or pretends to do everything perfectly. It’s the joy of that person who accepts to be forgiven and is ready to sow seeds of forgiveness. Jesus gave to His Church the Spirit of forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation. Pope Francis re-instated in our times this “mercy principle”. The Church is not a place of lawful righteousness or a Court of Justice; the Church is a place of mercy and reconciliation, a place where everybody has a chance to try a new beginning. Without mercy, humanity becomes impossible to live, because all of us are in need of mercy. Peace, mercy, brotherhood… we need them so much; they are a fruit of the Spirit the Risen Lord gives out to us.

4) Mission: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you”
The community of disciples, pacified, pardoned, built up as a house of mercy, becomes a missionary community, sent to the world to be precisely that: a house of mercy, reconciliation and peace. And really, how much does our world need that! How necessary it is to increase and spread out the communities of disciples that, as humble believers, become in the world spaces of peaceful greetings, forgiveness and deep joy!
Fr. Antonio Villarino
Roma

[Mozambique] Missionary Animation in the Parish of the Holy Cross

18 March, 20169 April, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The fourth weekend of each month, the CLM in Mozambique, have the habit of meeting for basic training and lifelong learning. These meetings are mainly for training but on certain occasions a parish is chosen for Missionary Animation. As it was done this March 28, in the Parish of the Holy Cross, in the city of Nampula, starting on Saturday afternoon, we presented ourselves at a group of this parish, consisting of singles and young couples.

We share the word of God and we talked about the movement of the CLM at the level of Mozambique and in the world. Deepening phrases of St. Daniel Comboni who says: “Save Africa with Africa”, “I die, but my work will not die”, “thousand lives for a mission,” “The works of God are born and grow at the foot of the Cross “; all this was cause for our reflection.

Once finished on Saturday, on Sunday 29, we were in the community of San Juan de Brito, which belongs to the same parish where our animation culminated with much joy and coinciding with Palm Sunday. Where is celebrated the day of youth. At the end of the celebration, we met to continue talking about our movement, particularly the activities in the parish of Carapira and the Industrial School.

Therefore, after the presentation of the phrases of St. Daniel Comboni, we mentioned above, people with the need to reflect, requested the translation in their local language (Macua). Among other translations, focused heavily on “Saving Africa with Africa” in macua “Wopola w’África nor Africa”. They gave various examples. Believers of this community were moved from this animation, having the need to be more informed. So, we left an opening dialogue through our contact.

Another important aspect that we talked about was the family that is rich because today has Priests, Brothers, Sisters Laity and secular.

By last, we appreciate the availability and receipt of the parish, and this community. At the end they still offered us some products of “machamba” (orchard).

By Rui Evaristo Assane, CLM candidate