Still in the Easter mood, an invitation to revisit the intense days leading up to Resurrection Day, a unique week in which we tried to recreate with fervor the last steps of Christ as Man.
At the entrance to the village, under the welcoming shade of the mango trees, children and adults, men and women gathered in faith to begin the celebration of Palm Sunday. Everyone had their own palm, some of them beautifully decorated.
To the vibrant sound of the songs of “Hossana”, the community walked down the main street in procession, a sea of palms waving in the air, a unison chant that echoed the joy of faith.
In the church, the celebration went on for more than two hours.
Thus began Holy Week, paving the way for a time of reflection, a time to meditate on Christ’s sacrifice and the promise of redemption.
On this journey we are invited: to relive the footsteps of Jesus, to meditate on the meaning of his surrender and to reflect on the meaning of our own lives.
A unique opportunity to strengthen our faith and renew our hope.
This Holy Week we have been fortunate to get together again to celebrate the Easter Triduum of the CLM of Spain.
This year we were hosted by the parish unit of the five Villas in the Sierra de Gredos.
We were fortunate to “premiere” the parish house of Villarejo del Valle, recently renovated.
As we have been doing in recent years, we have chosen to celebrate Easter with a community where some animation and collaboration with the local parish priest who has to attend to several distant communities would come in handy. In this sense we were in charge of animating some community and together with the same community to celebrate together both the services and some activities.
This year there were only 11 of us because for various reasons at the last minute some of us could not participate so we have experienced a more familiar atmosphere if possible.
We have felt very well received by the community with whom we have been walking these days and we have engaged in many conversations and sharing our faith, learning a lot from them.
Most of the time we have been in San Esteban del Valle. On Thursday we started with the celebration of fraternal love. A lot of participation and a very simple Eucharist where we could enter into these important days.
Then we went to the monument that was in the hermitage in the center of the village. As in all these days, the blessed rain has been accompanying us and it was not going to be less, so the transfer of the Blessed Sacrament was done as quickly as possible.
Then we returned in the evening for the prayer in the garden of Gethsemani. It was a simple moment where we were able to accompany the Lord with the different passages of the Gospel. Reviewing similar moments of our life. We were able to delve into them and even share them with each other.
Good Friday was also a very important day. Every morning we started with a moment of prayer in the church of Villarejo, in front of the house. In a simple way and with some neighbors with whom we gathered every morning.
Then we go to San Esteban for the Stations of the Cross organized by the community. It was a very simple and emotional moment, full of tradition with the carraca and a traditional song that counted each station. Accompanying the Lord on the way of the Cross….
Later in the afternoon, the celebration of the Passion and Death. Austere and simple, which helped us to enter into those moments so difficult to assume and understand.
We ended the night in Santa Cruz, where we shared the adoration of the cross with the neighbors and with the group of young people from the five Villas who were celebrating a youth Easter. A moment that they prepared very well and through songs and gestures of adoration helped us to accompany the death of the Lord.
On Saturday morning we had another time of prayer in Villarejo. It was always nice and it also allowed us to talk about the reality of the pastoral unity that is being carried out in the five Villas, the difficulties and challenges that the Church is facing, the changes and the responsibility of the laity in this journey.
We immediately went to San Esteban where we met, in addition to the people of the local community, two other groups that were celebrating Easter in the area. We shared the Path to Emmaus. We listened to the testimonies of the disciples of Emmaus, Peter, Thomas or the Magdalene in those first moments of uncertainty before the Resurrection. Of joy and almost of unbelief….
An intense moment where we learned from each other and were enriched by sharing our lives.
At the end of the day we went to Monbeltran where we were invited to a magnificent rice with chicken to finish the morning.
On Saturday afternoon we organized a missionary testimony. After several days with the people of the town, many of them wondered who we were, the Comboni Lay Missionaries. So we took advantage of the afternoon to have a sharing. Isabel and Gonzalo told us about their years in Arequipa (Peru), and then we had a nice discussion about the lay missionary vocation and its challenges.
Afterwards we rushed back to have an early dinner and leave for Monbeltran where we celebrated Easter with people from the five Villas. The parish priest wanted to make a single celebration that night so important for all together to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.
It was a very beautiful celebration. The moment of the fire had to be quick because the rain was present as all these days, and then we went to the temple where each one had prepared a part of the celebration. We finished with a small party and sharing.
On Sunday morning some of us had to return and others ended up celebrating the Mass of Resurrection with the community of St. Stephen. This time the rain held off and we were able to bring out the Risen Lord and his Mother.
We would like to thank Don Alvaro and all the communities of the five Villas for the welcoming we received. At all times we felt very well received. Each one of us accompanied and animated different moments and together we were able to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.
May the Risen Lord accompany us all always. May we know how to be witnesses and bring his light to all the peoples of the Earth. Alleluia, Alleluia
That the Lord may grant all missionaries a share in the Paschal Mystery of Christ – the mystery of that life which is stronger than death – that they may learn to strip themselves of the old man and put on the sentiments of Christ: tenderness, goodness, humility, patience, magnanimity, and closeness to the least in history. Let us pray.
From March 15 to 17, we had a meeting in Ghana at the Dadome Station for recollection, monthly meeting and pastoral activity.
On Friday March 15, we met in Dadome to do our recollection for this Lenten season. That evening, we meditated on the Stations of the Cross with the faithful of the station. On Saturday morning, after morning prayer, we had the first theme that our brother Christian shared. It was on Dying to oneself to Live with Christ. He invited us to renounce ourselves through certain practices: going against certain practices of our cultures and traditions, loving God more than our parents, being humble are ways of dying to ourselves.
The second theme was Lent: journey for a spiritual combat which was presented by Justin, the coordinator. He insisted on the three priorities of Lent which are prayer, asceticism and fraternity. He invited us to strive to please the Lord by practicing virtue, renouncing carnal pleasures and extending our arms to our brothers and sisters.
Saturday evening was dedicated to the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the presence of Father Chaplain Father Ephrem. Afterwards, we prayed the rosary to end the recollection.
After dinner, we reflected on the economic situation of the group.
On Sunday morning, we followed Father Ephrem for the outdooring ceremony of a newborn baby. Afterwards, we headed to Husikorpe for the Eucharistic celebration. From Husikorpe, we returned to Dadome for a second mass. It was after mass and the family meal that everyone took their way home.
The month is still fairly new, so please allow me to begin by saying happy new month!
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the women out there, especially in and around the Comboni Family, a happy women’s day, celebrated internationally this past Friday, the 8th of March. Did you know that our patron St. Daniel Comboni was a great champion for women? All through his mission work, he was insistent on the importance of including women in evangelisation. On May 5th 1878 (W5117) he wrote: “…My secret, based on my long experience of 21 years, is this: in a mission station in which there are six or seven sisters, I only need to put two missionary priests. Two priests and six sisters in a mission in Central Africa will do more good than a Mission with twelve priests and no sisters. This is a fact.” (Pg. 24, Daniel Comboni, Witness of Holiness and Master of Mission.) ‘Without women missionaries, men would achieve nothing in Africa.’ (Pg. 186, The Spirituality of Daniel Comboni by John Manuel Lozano.) To every female, I hope you feel seen, loved and appreciated. You are wonderfully and fearfully made and you deserve to be celebrated every day!
This past weekend, beginning Friday 8th to Sunday 10th March, we, the Comboni Lay Missionaries – Kenya had our monthly formation meeting. We had a guided recollection at Uganda Martyrs Scholasticate with Fr. Sylvester Hategek’Imana MCCJ. We delved a little more into what our identity is as CLM – adding to what Fr. Maciek taught us last month. My identity and my call/vocation to be a CLM should never be in conflict. My values and my work must always reflect my identity as a CLM. We have been called to be the salt and the light of the world. We must let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. Mathew 5:13-16.
Fr. Sylvester shared this beautiful story with us. Once there was a holy old man who loved to meditate every morning under a large tree on the banks of a river. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, he noticed a large scorpion stuck, fighting helplessly against the strong current of the river. He reached out his hand to help free the Scorpion and immediately the Scorpion stung him. And again, he reached out his hand to help free the scorpion. A young man who was passing by saw this. He asked the old man, “Why risk your life to save such an ugly useless creature?” The holy old man was in much pain having been stung violently, severally. In his pain, he said to the young man, “Friend, because it is in the nature of a scorpion to sting why should I give up my own nature to save?” The world is consumed with different shades of darkness. Our nature as CLM is rooted in Christ. We have been called to be kind, loving, empathetic, selfless, forgiving and so much more. In our daily lives, we get stung – by friends, family, employers etc. We can only find solace in Christ. At no point must we allow it to alter our nature.
We also learnt that love and forgiveness go hand in hand. The greatest commandment is love. Christ is the embodiment of love. That a man should give up his life for the sake of his friends. There is no greater love. And while Jesus was stretched out on the cross, he showed mercy to his persecutors and asked the Lord to ‘forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ Jesus set a great example for us. He expects much of us. Every day we must love more and forgive more. Christ will give us the grace to love the unlovable and forgive those who show no remorse.
This weekend was more special as we had a chance to hear from Fr. Gregor MCCJ, the Provincial of the Comboni Community in South Sudan. He was pleased to learn of our formation program for CLM-K. In Juba, they only have Friends of Comboni. They are yet to have Comboni Lay Missionaries. Christianity is very young in South Sudan. So young that the first generation of Christians in Nuer are still alive. The country is also young. Infrastructure is almost non-existent and illiteracy levels are as high as 70%. It was very grounding to hear of the work the missionaries are doing in South Sudan. Being a missionary there requires that you truly give up everything and offer up your life in service to God. We are very thankful to Fr. Gregor for taking the time to share with us and indulge our curiosity.
We would like to thank the Scholasticate for having us through the weekend. Your environment offers the stillness that one requires when seeking and hearing from our Lord. Thank you for your hospitality that knows no bounds.
We would also like to thank the Comboni priests stationed at Holy Trinity Kariobangi for allowing us to do our apostolate there and at the outstation, on Sunday.
This coming Saturday, March 16th, all Comboni family will gather to commemorate St. Daniel Comboni’s Birthday. St. Daniel Comboni pray for us that we may follow in your footsteps. May we use our time on earth to prepare for heaven.
This fourth week of Lent, let us reflect on what matters most in this life. St. Mother Teresa said, “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.’”
Remember, the goal is heaven.
Warmly,
Cecilia Nyamu
Comboni Lay Missionary – Kenya
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