Comboni Family – Page 67 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

“Share the Joy of the Gospel” – Ethiopian Comboni Friends’ annual retreat

4 August, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Addis Ababa, July 30, 2017

“Share the Joy of the Gospel” – Ethiopian Comboni Friends’ annual retreat

“No one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”

“O God your ways are holy!

You are the God who does Marvelous deeds”

(Ps77:13a.14a)

On July 21-23, 2017 at the Comboni Postulancy House in Addis Ababa we held our annual retreat as Comboni Friends of Ethiopia. I was really looking forward to this chance to pray, worship, build our friendship and strategize. This is always a special time for me: to leave the office and get away from hustle bustle. I said: “O Lord, your ways are holy”. Earlier this year, I went on a silent retreat for a week. What better, I thought, than a week of silence for an introvert? So it was a bit of disappointment when I learned that Comboni Friends’ retreat would not be one in complete silence. But God continued to surprise me and make me laugh.

“Share the Joy of the Gospel!”

I was very pleased with the Comboni Friends retreat. During the weekend-long meeting we felt like a family. Praying together, eating together, working together. Preparing meals, washing dishes, playing games, talking – doing everything together was great fun! On Saturday afternoon we went out to play Bible games on the street and I really liked that idea to share the Joy of the Gospel with others.

“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have loved one to another” – we continued our retreat activities in Mother Teresa’s House, where our group got involved this year in monthly volunteering. It was the first time for me to visit the compound and as one of the sisters guided us through different departments of the centre, a thought came to my mind: each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor and for enabling them to be fully a part of society. This requires us to be attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid. The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “Faith is gift that is given to us to be shared”. My prayer and hope is that every member of the Comboni Friends in Ethiopia will be willing and committed to put those words into practice. The task of each one of us is to live what we believe. This is the most important way of spreading and strengthening our faith.

During the reatreat, Comboni Missionaries did work hard to share the joy of the Gospel “in deeds and in words”. We thank them for what they did for us and pray for them, especially for Fr. Juan, responsible for Comboni Lay Missionaries in Ethiopia, Fr. Sisto, the Superior of Ethiopian Province and Comboni Lay Missionaries from Poland working in Ethiopia who reactivated the Comboni Friends group in Ethiopia. “Your good work will be poured out in the sight of all mankind” – dear lay missionaries, we rejoice that our Heavenly Father has performed this in practice, and we thank Heavenly Father for your work.

Tesfalidet Lelisho

Closing and opening

31 July, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Today we put the conclusions of our meeting into solid concrete steps on the way forward as Comboni Lay Missionaries working on this beautiful continent of Africa. We all have different realities within our communities. Some have found it easy to collaborate within our communities, some have found challenges. There are communities that communicate well and understand the expectations of our family and the greater Comboni community, others have just understood how it all fits together.

This meeting has closed now, but through the Holy Spirit it has opened the eyes and hearts of all of us. We are all stronger together, as one Comboni family. Our time in Anchilo has brought a continent of people all working to help expand the kingdom of God closer together. It has shown us our strengths and our weaknesses. We have put forth resolutions to make our paths more clear for all of us. These resolutions will help us all to understand deeper our vocation, our responsibilities, and the way forward in the spirit of St. Daniel Comboni.

African CLM

Fruits

30 July, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Our meeting has brought forth the realities of our missionary vocation to the group.

We have discussed topics like communication, vocation, economics, formation and much more. Through these discussions we have found where we have met our goals, areas that we need to improve and the challenges we face in doing so.

Much like St. Daniel Comboni we have all found some difficulties in expanding the Kingdom of God. With the charism of our founder and intercessor, we find the strength to carry on in our mission and find the path to do so.

Like the palm tree bearing the coconuts fruit, it is not easy to share the sweet taste of salvation but we find the strength to climb, through our faith and our community.

African CLM

Unity

27 July, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Our theme for the day was unity.

As the Lord has brought us all from different lands, languages and different cultures, we come together in the Holy Spirit.

We ourselves, our work and our communities are like a puzzle. One piece alone has little meaning, but together we can create something beautiful.

African CLM

25th Anniversary of the CLM in Mexico – 2017

26 July, 2017 by Alberto de la Portilla

Today, 25 years from the beginning of the CLM in Mexico, we gathered in Sahuayo, Michoacán to start our 19^th National Assembly with great joy, faith and enthusiasm that spur us to continue in this vocation, because, as St. Daniel Comboni said, “This work will not die.”

On June 30 we reflected on our commitment to the lay vocation. In this journey, the call is the compass guiding our steps and pointing to the right way, since our vocation is to do what lines up with our passion that, in one way or another, contributes to the building of a better world: to give help and light, to generate wellbeing, to be guides and spread harmony. We all need to find our vocation, because it brings us to enjoy life more. The advice on this matter was: “If you are doing what you have a passion for, keep on doing it even better.” To follow one’s vocation involves getting to know one another and develop our talents. What am I good for? It means to feel called by God, as special people over whom God placed his sight.

Later, on July 1, we reflected on what must set apart a CLM, and we agreed that the CLM must show a fraternal spirit, act in solidarity and empathy in order to free and walk with the poorest and most abandoned. As for his personality he is a brother who gives confidence, makes you feel part of the family and shares with you sorrows and joys. Even more, he must be loving, generous, and feel the freedom and the joy of serving. In this vocation, not everything is easy, so that even we may not like to stay in it, God wants it and he keeps us going in difficult moments.

Along these same lines, we began to develop a work plan based on the lay missionary experience of the group. In order to progress with this plan it is necessary to observe, to be realistic, to listen and learn from simple things in order to finally to be able to act with patience. Not always can the missionary solve problems, but a process may be started so that there will be change. So, from the work experience among the indigenous communities of Guerrero, we identified these areas of activity: education, employment, nutrition, women’s promotion and inclusion of the disabled.

At the same time, we had the joy of sharing this festive occasion with a group of friends who accompanied us and worked during these days on a life project and reflected on the lay vocation, seeing whether it could be with the CLM. Besides listening to the witness of missionaries, they also took active part in the moments of prayer and celebration.

Finally, the big day arrived, July 2, when we had the opportunity to listen to the missionary testimony of the Mexican CLM who pioneered this work. It was a blessing to enjoy the presence of the Cornejo Castillo family, Olivia Ayala, Martha Navarro and Manuelita Valladares who, by their witness and commitment, left footprints to be followed in this journey.

The Thanksgiving Mass was presided over by Fr. Enrique Sánchez, the MCCJ provincial. Without any doubt, it was a very emotional time to say THANKS to all those who have written parts of this history and to those who are still writing it.

We are also grateful for the presence of Bro. Joel Cruz, mccj and Fr. Gustavo Covarrubias, mccj currently moderator of the CLM in Mexico, and all those who joined our festivities in prayer and from the heart.

Life is made up of moments. It was in July 1992 that the first formation meeting of the CLM took place, followed by July 1996 when our first CLM Silvia, Pablo, Oli and Ana Luz were assigned to Guatemala. In this same month we have given thanks especially for those who have accepted the missionary call to go to the mission ad gentes.

LMC Mexico