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Jesus’ secret

20 September, 2015 by Antonio Villarino

A commentary on Mk 9, 30-37 (XXV Sunday O.T., September 20th 2015)

Mark, the gospel we continue to read every Sunday of Ordinary Time, presents Jesus as an itinerant prophet who walks from village to village and from town to town preaching to the crowds and performing liberating actions as signs of God’s love towards the poor, the sick and the sinners.
But, from time to time, Mark says that Jesus “did not wish people knew He was there”. In those times of public silence, Jesus would “instruct his disciples”, given them some teachings that many (even the intimate ones) were not able to understand.

In today’s Reading Jesus announces, for the second time, his “secret”, that is, “that the Son of Man is going to be given up in the hands of men, but on the third day He will rise”.

We have heard so many times these words that they no longer impress us, though we do not understand its meaning, as it happened with the apostles: They understood nothing till they passed through the experience of His death and resurrections.
In fact, Jesus is not a brilliant but superficial prophet. Rather, He confronts death and wins over it, thanks to His radical trust in the Father. This is His great Secret. And this is the secret of many of His best disciples, who are able to confront death trusting totally in God’s secure love.

I remember, for example, St. Maximilian Kolbe, who, during the Second World War, offered himself to be assassinated in place of a father with children; Or I remember St Daniel Comboni, who, at the age of fifty, destroyed by sicknesses and enormous difficulties, while he feels he is dying, he says: “I die, but the project (of Africa’s salvation) will not die. Very few really believed that at the time, but he was right.

It’s in this line of thought that we can read the second part of todays’ gospel: “If someone wants to be the first one, let him become the servant of all”. We have read this sentence also many times and we do not really believe in it. Also this is a secret that not many understand. We all wish to be important, to be considered as the best ones; we are afraid to be despised, not taken into consideration. We feel certain “anguish” and a need to be the first ones. But Jesus says that to reach the first place we have to accept to be the last one. In my own words, I understand Jesus message in this way: “Be calm, relax, look at this little child, be grateful, think first of the God’s Kingdom and of its Justice, give out with generosity… and you will receive plenty”. It seems to me that, deep in our heart, we all feel the truthfulness of Jesus’ teaching, but we do not trust enough.
Let ask the Lord, in the Eucharist, to open our hearts, so that we can understand his “secret” and be ready to be the last ones, the servants, ready even to die to ourselves trusting in God as Jesus, Kolbe, Comboni and many others did.
Fr. Antonio Villarino
Roma

Comboni Family day in the MCCJ Chapter

16 September, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The XVIII General Chapter of the Comboni Missionaries on the theme “Comboni Missionary disciples, called to live the joy of the Gospel in today’s world” started on September 6 in the General House in Rome. On Monday, still in the reading of reality, gave the floor to the institutes of the Secular Comboni Misionaries, the Comboni Missionaries Sister and the Comboni Lay Missionaries. Through its reports, the Assembly approached the achievements, difficulties and dreams; in which in one way or another also it reflected the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries.

The secular Isabella d’Alessandro expressed their concern about the decline in staff, however, this is not a limit to the enthusiasm and desire to open up to the challenges posed by the mission. She recalled that the experience of weakness is an opportunity to collaborate with others, which invites to deepen our identity.

Mother Luzia Premoli, Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries Sisters, presented the main lines of reflection held as an Institute on the issue of ministerial service. The transformation of the mission requires a change in the governance model. Also, the rapid decline of sisters in the Institute poses challenges to be responding through various forms of reorganization.

Finally, Alberto de la Portilla, coordinator of the CLM submitted its report to the Assembly. He explained the internal structure of the movement and the challenges made in the last intercontinental CLM assembly of Maia (2012). Expressing the desire to consolidate the already established groups and improve international coordination.

The first three days of the XVIII General Chapter in Rome

14 September, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The XVIII General Chapter of the Comboni Missionaries, currently taking place in Rome, started on Monday morning with the presentation of the By-laws for the Chapter by Fr. Pietro Ciuciulla, a member of the Pre-capitular commission. This document is the instrument that will guide the operating methods of the Chapter and help in the planning of the different phases.

In the afternoon, there was group work, at continental level, in order to suggest changes and amendments that could improve the final text of the By-laws.

When all came together in the Chapter hall, there was a sharing of their ideas and proposals. Every Chapter of the document was voted upon and the final text approved. The main change of the By-laws, compared with the one that guided the previous Chapter, concerns the section on discernment, to which more time has now been allowed and it is to be done in groups. Also the methodology has been adapted to fit the flow of the work. There has been a desire that the Chapter concentrates on the content which should focus on some priorities of the Institute, thus avoiding the need to produce long documents.

After the approval of the working calendar, the Tuesday afternoon session took place in small groups to discern on the suitable candidates for the different offices that the Chapter needs. At the end of the day the four tellers where elected.

On Wednesday, 9^th September, the session started with the election of the offices, a process that took the whole day.

Council of Presidency: Fr. Enrique Sanchez (president), Fr. Giuseppe Moschetta and Fr. Manuel Augusto Lopes Ferreira.

General Secretary: Fr. Pietro Ciuciulla.

Moderators: Fr. Pedro Andres Miguel, Fr. Joseph Mumbere Musanga, Bro. Alberto Degan and Fr. Rogelio Bustos.

Special Commission: Fr. Rafael Ponce (coordinator), Fr. Dario Bossi and Fr. Jeremias dos Santos Martins.

The Central Commission is made up of the General Secretary, the four moderators and the coordinator of the special commission. Their task is to coordinate the work of the Chapter.

Tellers: Bro. Matthias Adossi, Bro. Dessu Yisrashe, Bro. Humberto da Silva Rua and Fr. Felix Cabascango.

Communication: Bro. Alberto Lamana (coordinator), Fr. Jean Claude Kobo and Fr. Efrem Tresoldi.

Liturgical commission: Fr. Roberto Turyiamureeba, Bro. Jean Marie Mwamba and Fr. Alcides Costa.

Cultural and recreation commission: Fr. Juan Armando Goicochea, Fr. Karl Peinhopf and Fr. Ramon Vargas.

The day concluded with the celebration of vespers of the solemnity of Saint Peter Claver, patron saint of our Institute.

Who is Jesus?

13 September, 2015 by Antonio Villarino

A commentary on Mk 8, 27-35 (XXIV Sunday O. T., September 13th 2015)

Today’s Reading places Jesus in a roman town in the north of Israel, far away from Jerusalem. There, precisely before he starts walking towards the Capital, He poses a question about his identity. And to that question three answers are given:

1. The majority of people see in Jesus one of the big prophets of the past. In fact, he teaches, heals sick people, liberates from bad spirits, proposes a conversion, and announces the kingdom of God…

It seems to me that this answer is similar to the one given today by many people: They see in Jesus an interesting teacher and a fascinating personality, one among the big personalities of human history.

2. The disciples see what Peter says: “You are the Christ”, that is, you are the Messiah, the Anointed by God to come and free his people. The disciples were quite happy to see the powerful presence of God in Jesus and hoped to find in Him a powerful leadership, to overcome so many frustrations, humiliations and defeats.

It seems to me that this is our vision. In front of so much abuse of power and so much corruption, in front of so many superficial words shouted from our means of communication… we think that Jesus is the envoy of God and that He is the word the world needs. We would like Jesus to be recognized as master by everybody… and the Church as a recognized power.

3. Jesus’ vision: What the mases say, it’s true: Jesus is a prophet; what de disciples say it’s also true true: Jesus is the Messiah of God. But Jesus adds: Attention! I do not come as a Powerful Messiah who imposes himself to the world or even the Church by force. Rather, I go to Jerusalem, to the centre of Israel, not as conqueror or a winner, but as the Servant of Yavhe, as a brother and as a Son ready to obey the Father and to offer my live out of love.

It seems to me that this is what distinguishes a true faith from a false and superficial one. Peter found it quite difficult to accept that Jesus was going to be tortured and to die. But to become a true disciple we have to pass through this experience of cross, obedience and free love.

Let us pray to the Lord, who is coming to us in today’s Eucharist, to help us to understand his true identity as a Messiah Servant and to grow in our own discipleship, even when in the moments of sacrifice and when the way to Jerusalem becomes steep and difficult.

F. Antonio Villarino
Roma

Masterpieces

13 September, 2015 by Maggie and Mark Banga

This is an article about my art class, though not exactly. This is the story about friends we have met here in Awassa, a truly special husband and wife team, Argow andRachel, and through them, the wonderful kids we have met with whom I have the joy of doing art projects once per week. The couple is an Ethiopian/American duo who met in Hungary at a bible college and felt God calling them to settle in Ethiopia as missionaries. Argow is from Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS), the most ethnically diverse area of Ethiopia with 35 different tribes. The capital of SNNPRS is Awassa, the town where we live. After learning about some negative customs of one tribe, the Hamar, in the far south west of the region, he felt called to get involved. The Hamar people have many superstitions and because their survival day to day is difficult, anything they think will negatively impact the people as a whole cannot be tolerated. For this reason there are several ways a person may become ‘cursed’ and should they become cursed, they are either killed or expelled from the tribe. Unfortunately most often these people are babies and children. The reasons that one could become cursed are many and include: being born out of wedlock, being a twin, having the top teeth come in before the bottom teeth as a baby, not attending one of many rites of passage no matter the reason. These cultural practices of the Hamar are not openly discussed, even by the government, but some local human rights groups estimate that 20% of their children are killed or abandoned.

Five years ago, Argow learned from his Hamar collaborators that there was a group of nine unmarried woman in a village who were pregnant and because these children would be born out of wedlock, they would have to be killed. Argow wanted to try to save these babies so he packed his car full of bottles, sleepers, diapers and blankets and made the long 15 hour trek to try to get them out of the village immediately after birth. When he arrived, all nine babies had been killed – he arrived too late. He returned to Awassa devastated in a silent, empty car.

After this experience Argow felt even more deeply moved to work with the Hamar people, and therefore he and Rachel founded an orphanage, Ebenezer Grace Children’s Home (EG), 4 years ago. They now have 36 children from newborn to age 12. The children come from all parts of SNNPRS, not only from Hamar, but they feel a particular call to help these little ones. Half of the kids in my art class are Hamar children, cursed for one of those reasons I listed above. Some of the children were ‘rescued’ prior to their murder by the intervention of some sympathetic Hamar who disagree with the traditions. Some of their parents tried to hide their cursed child to save and keep them, but eventually the only way to save them was to have them moved to EG. Over these past four years, Argow and Rachel have been trying to build good relationships with the Hamar tribe leaders. In a bold move several months ago, they took a group of 6 beautiful “cursed” children back to their villages to visit with their families and the community. They thought to stay only for a short visit but several of the parents begged them to stay for days. Maybe these types of encounters will help engage the process for the Hamar to confront their traditions and gradually in time to change them.

The other children in my class have arrived at EG due to a variety of circumstances that lead to children being orphaned: parents dying of HIV/AIDS, a widowed mother too poor to raise them, abandoned at birth, and health conditions that make life in the rural countryside difficult. One of my students has a heart condition and is nearly blind. For another there is no information on her scattered past – she was found last year wandering the streets alone of a nearby town, her clothes and hair infested with lice. When asked her story, there was no response – she is both deaf and mute. They guessed her to be about 12 years of age. She was given a name, a date of birth, new clothes and hopefully now a brighter future. These are my students, each one with their own story, each one special and wonderful.

Fast forward to today and each child is flourishing despite the limitations of institutional care. They have found love and friendship with their “siblings” at Ebenezer Grace and the staff who care for them. Argow and Rachel consider them all to be part of their family (they have 5 biological children of their own) and are very devoted to caring for them and providing them with every opportunity they can. I have observed that the line between Argow and Rachel’s own children and their EG children is somehow blurred, in a beautiful way. Argow and Rachel are making the longterm commitment to raise the children until adulthood, a commitment one can only make with deep faith in God’s fidelity and providence. The children are being raised to know Jesus and to know God’s love for them and for every person. It is the hope that some of the Hamar children one day will return as adult Christians to serve their own people, being themselves living examples of the dignity of each human life.

The first time I met Argow, he asked me “what can you do with these kids?” and the next Tuesday I was teaching art. They all attend school, even a school for the hearing impaired. They play sports, help with the younger children, braid each other’s hair, have birthday parties and just goof around. They have their own interests and gifts and are growing into fine young people. To my delight they all like art. I have an enthusiastic group of 12 (8 girls and 4 boys), all age 5 to 12. When you start with eager children, yellow construction paper, a dab of glue, a button, a piece of felt, a splash of bright paint, and a few sparkles ….voila you get a masterpiece!

As I look upon my students when they are quietly doing their work, I am grateful that their lives were saved. These kids are as unique as the materials we use to create our masterpieces. Each one is a masterpiece of God’s creation.

http://www.ebenezergrace.org/