Spirituality – Page 54 – Comboni Lay Missionaries

Because for God nothing is impossible!

15 January, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

CLM Ethiopia

One of my main apostolates is the work of physiotherapist in the Mother Theresa Home. There, some time ago the sisters asked me to visit one of their patients – Addisu – teenage boy dying of bone cancer. Addisu’s mother died of cancer, his sister also. He fell ill 1,5 years ago, but as he came from a poor family they had no money to send him for treatment. Finally, he came to one of the missionary clinics in the village distant approx. 100 km from Awassa. Unfortunately there they couldn’t help him too much, it was too late for any treatment, so they sent him Mother Teresa Home in Awassa. As he came here he was in a terrible psychological state, really suffering due to pain, but also the fear of death. But when I met him I couldn’t believe it was the same boy. He was so cheerful, smiling, calm. Although sometimes the face passed him grimace of pain (which must be unimaginable, his leg in which he attacked the cancer looks horribly … and also there is no such strong drugs that are used for palliative patients), in a moment the smile and desire to talk returned. When I asked the boy what is his biggest dream that I might try to fulfill his wish, he said that what he wants the most now is baptism. For me it was surprising answer. But at the same time everything became clear – that his peace of heart, this joy despite suffering … It’s all thanks to God, the God who surrounded him with so much love and peace in this difficult time.

Since I met Addisu, I’ve started to pray for him a lot and also sking for prayers of all my friends. And thus we could experience how much powerful prayer is!

CLM Ethiopia

There was a chance to consult with other doctors and they found that lung lesions are not cancer metastasis and that it is not too late for amputation, which could save his life! On one of our Bible fellowship meetings (where we always have a prayer for different issues) I mentioned the situation of Addisu and it turned out that the husband of one of the members of our group is a surgeon! And that’s one of the best in Awassa! Then I could see how God starts to work and connect all the puzzles! We had appointment with the doctor in very short time (because Addisu’s suffering began increasing by spreading the infection from the wound on the leg) and the next day there was surgery! Addisu is so amazing! And the prayer probably gave him a lot of peace that once they were taking him to the operating room, he showed no sign of fear or sadness that he would lose his leg but he radiated joy. Because he will live! After a few days, they discharged him from the hospital and now we work intensively with physiotherapy in order to make him walking again. And also another miracle in the whole situation – the father of Addisu, who after the death of his wife and daughter, seeing dying son completely separated from the boy… It was too much for him to see the next family member dying of cancer and unable to do anything about it. He tried to forget sadness and pain in alcohol … But now when he saw that his son would live, came to Awassa and was caring about him so nicely! It is so beautiful! That God heals not only the boy’s body but also his relationship with father … Although it is known that still a lot ahead of them, so let us pray on!

Madzia Plekan CLM in Awassa Ethiopia

Pilgrimage route to Bangui for the Pope’s visit

7 January, 2016 by Alberto de la Portilla

Jesus

On 25 November, the pilgrimage walk of the faithful of our parish started from Mongoumba to Bangui to participate in the ceremonies for the visit of the Pope. There were four groups of 18 people, one of them composed only of pygmies recently baptized.

We get up every day at 2.30am, ate a sweet rice porridge, so that everyone could have energy to walk. We began with prayer, then everybody start to walk, singing beautiful songs in Sango.

Every day they covered about 30kms, with joy, despite the “blisters” on the feet …

When it reached the intended location for the night, they have lunch and in the afternoon, after a short break, a catechesis on the theme of the day, followed by the Eucharist.

The topics presented were: “Reconciliation”, “Laudato Si”, “The joy of the Gospel” and “Blessed are the peacemakers”, interesting subjects that pilgrims greatly appreciated. In each catechesis was distributed to each pilgrim a symbolic ribbon theme: violet, green, red and white.

After the Mass we dined before the last rays of light.

To 20 pm everyone was in bed, I mean, sleeping on a sailcloth lying on the ground, inside or outside the chapel. The communities where we rest welcomed us warmly and showed all their support, fetching water and firewood. Two of them prepared food for more than 70 people.

Elia

Elia, three cooks (volunteers) and I were covering the pilgrimage by car, carrying everything you need to cook for six days, which eventually turned out to be seven.

Elia was tireless, with all who approached her with the injured or sore feet…

The arrival in Bangui was Saturday morning. People on the street stopped amazed to see all these people on pilgrimage, each with its cross highest than oneself, and a lively group of Pygmies in the middle. All of Mongoumba.

Activities in the house of the Comboni Missionaries in Bimbo, where the same as where we were staying, equal to those of the previous days.

It was four days of walking in which no one gave up despite the fatigue … we hope that this pilgrimage bear fruit; conversion to the Lord, in every heart, protective Earth people “hit Sopo/bata Sesse” happy preach the Gospel, men and women of peace.

A hug

Maria Augusta, Mongoumba CLM

Missionary retreat in Mozambique

23 December, 2015 by Alberto de la Portilla

The Missionary laity of the diocese of Nacala met on December 7 to celebrate Advent retreat.

Attended 16 lay people from the various missions of the diocese. Fr. Damasceno, Spiritan present in the mission of Itoculo, led the retreat.

In the morning after our arrival, we made an initial prayer reflecting on the transforming power of love and Fr Damasceno invited us to use it to change what closes us on ourselves, remembering that Advent is a favorable time for this.

Then p. Damascus helped us to reflect on the Gospel of the second Sunday of Advent, and to see that, after describing the “powers” of the world, political and religious, he concludes with the assertion that the Word came to John in the desert. God reveals His word to the little, in the forgotten places. So we are invited to retreat to the desert to hear God! The desert is the privileged place of God’s relationship with his people. It also proposes some questions to reflect on our missionary experience, challenging us to review some attitudes and commitments.

After lunch, to continue the reflection, we chose the beach, a quiet and peaceful place, which gave us the contact with nature, a magnificent work of God. This environment well-lit reflection in the afternoon, bringing the second reading of the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of joy. “Rejoice in the Lord always!” A relationship with some of the paragraphs of the encyclical “Laudato Si” and also some excerpts from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

In the afternoon, returning from the beach, as we celebrate the closing Mass of the day, where also, at the time of Thanksgiving, there was the farewell of 5 laity who returned to their home-lands: 3 Spanish Vincentian lay, Cristina, Nina and Virginia, a Comboni lay Portuguese Márcia and a Brazilian Comboni lay Flávio.

The meeting ended with a dinner and fellowship, in the joy of waiting for the Lord’s coming!

Good experience of Advent to all!

Flavio Schmidt, CLM

“Do not be afraid!”

30 October, 2015 by Maggie and Mark Banga

Saint John Paul II These are perhaps the most common words Pope John Paul II repeated over and over again around the world, encouraging people to not fear and to entrust their lives totally to Christ. “J – P – 2, we love you; J – P – 2, we love you!” These are the words that enthusiastic crowds of young people chanted over and over again back to their beloved Pope. The youth shouted this with sincere joy, because they recognized in this old man a genuine model of total fidelity and hope in God.

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the passing of John Paul II. Last year on April 27, 2014, Catholic faithful around the world celebrated the canonization of Saint John Paul II (JPII), as his example of faith was elevated to sainthood. Here in Awassa, Catholics were very excited for the canonization day, especially the youth. We watched the television coverage with some university student friends. Because it was too hot inside, they moved the TV out into their yard under the shade of a big tree. For most of us, JPII was pope for most of our lives, which is why he is so special. Indeed he had one of the most dramatic, longest and public of all pontificates. He was the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church but was also renowned as an ambassador of hope and peace by politicians, other religious leaders and common people all around the world. Here are some highlights of his grand papacy:

JPII was by far the most widely travelled pope, visiting 129 countries on 104 international trips, meeting with over 1,600 world political leaders – truly he was bringing the Gospel to “every nation and tribe and language and people” (Rev 14:6).
JPII wanted to give the modern world credible models of faith and therefore, he beatified 1,338 and canonized 482 saints, far more than other pope in history.
JPII was a prolific author – his writings include 14 encyclicals, 14 apostolic exhortations, 3,288 speeches and 5 books. He had a distinctive writing style that was dense in character yet flowed freely. He examined topics from several different angles (not only theological), because if the Church’s teachings were to be deeply understood they had to be validated by our practical experiences of life.
JPII loved youth and initiated the World Youth Days to gather the international catholic youth. Indeed he was the champion of youth.
JPII was always teaching on the meaning and value of man, repeating often a key sentence from the Second Vatican II document Gaudium et Spes which he helped draft: “Christ fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (par. 22). Jesus shows us precisely the model of how to live an abundant life of love.
JPII has been described as the “most Marian pope”. In fact, his papal motto was “Totus tuus” meaning Totally Yours (Mary). JPII expanded the understanding of Mary playing a unique role in the plan of salvation, perfectly embracing the will of the Holy Spirit and being the spiritual Mother of all of us by always helping us draw closer to her son, the Savior.
JPII pioneered the “Theology of the Body” teachings, explaining that a natural moral law has been written by God into the sexuality of man and woman that directs us towards true love.
JPII fervently promoted the “culture of life” and strongly defended the dignity of life in all its stages (from conception until natural death), a teaching he exemplified by accepting gracefully the challenges of old age and illness in his final years.

JPII always encouraged people to become saints. T-shirts were spotted in the throng at the canonization with the words: “Be not afraid to become a saint”. He did not mean that everyone should endeavor to be officially acknowledged as saints in the Church, but rather that God holds out the invitation to each one of us to mold us into other Christs, despite our imperfections and faults. In other words, each one of us has the capacity to be holy, to become a saint. Only two things are needed: our free decision to cooperate in this transformation by continually striving to live according to the Truth; and the undeserved gift of God’s grace. Well, JPII, you’ve given us a good example!

On Easter Sunday, March 27, 2005, six days before his death, JPII blessed the faithful with his final public words. Well, 10 years later these words are still valid and inspiring:

“We, the men and women of the third millennium, we too need you, Risen Lord! Stay with us now and until the end of time…Sustain us, we pray, on our journey. In you do we believe, in you do we hope, for you alone have the words of everlasting life. Alleluia!”

– Mark & Maggie Banga

Comboni Lay Missionaries serving in Awassa, Ethiopia

The blind man who became able to see

24 October, 2015 by Antonio Villarino

A commentary on Mk 10, 46-52 (Sunday XXX O.T., October 25th 2015

On his way up to Jerusalem, Jesus arrived at Jerico, a town with a long history in Israel. In this town, Mark places an interesting dialogue, quite different in nature from de one He had with the sons of Zebedee that we read last Sunday.
While the sons of Zebedee put up the question of power and their ranking as followers of Jesus (showing how little they had understood), the son of Timeo, Bartimeo, stands before de “son of David” as he really is: a blind man who wishes to see, somebody who has lost the meaning and feels lost in life.
Let us not forget that, in Marks’s intention, the son of Timeo, as the sons of the Zebedee, real persons as they might be, are brought here, to this story, as personalities that represent all of us, disciples of any time, who search for la light that sometimes we confuse with the glimpses of money, power, prestige or any other blinkering reality.
Let us stop a bit on this story and the dialogue between Bartimeo and Jesus, bearing in mind that somehow we are also taking part in it:
1.- At the road side, out of the town. Bartimeo was seating at the road’s side, marginalized from social life, unable to be among the human community.
Do we know in our experience such people as Bartimeo, people marginalized, not taken into consideration, despised because of a physical defect or otherwise? Remember that in our Christian communities there should not be any one discriminated.
But it may happen that we are the marginalized ones; it may happen that ourselves suffer despise in our own family, in the working place…or we may experience problems that seem bigger than what we can cope with. In that case, we should remain in contemplation of this Bartimeo and try to follow his steps as “blind” disciples.
2.- He shouts: “Son of David, have mercy on mi”. What a marvellous prayer! We all are in need, in one or other moment in life, of mercy, understanding, forgiveness… Only a stupid and false pride can lead us to think that we do not need God’s and our neighbour’s mercy. Bartimeo is teaching us one of the best prayers ever: “Lord, have mercy on me, help me, since I alone cannot overcome my troubles”. It’s a prayer to say with humility but without feeling of shame or false vanity. Somebody has said that never a human being is greater than when he kneels down. The opposite is just lie or hypocrisy.
3.- “What do you want me to do for you? To see again”. Physical blindness is a drama, but many blind people show that it’s not the end of the world and that worse than physical blindness y the spiritual one, to which Mark refers in this story; the blindness of so many people unable to understand God’s love, closed up in their own world of self-content and “self-reference”. This is also a precious prayer: “Lord, let me see your light, so that I may understand your love”.
4.- Your faith has saved you. The Italian theologian Bruno Forte says: “ Following a suggestive medieval etymology, “to believe (“credere”) means to give your heart (“cor-dare”), to put your heart into the hands of Somebody else… To believe is to trust in Somebody, say “yes” to his call, to put our own life in His hands, so that He is the Unique and true Lord” (B. Forte, Piccola introduzione alla fede, San Paolo, 1992, p. 16).
This faith-communion with the Other One is always healing, because it helps a person to come out of herself, out of her self-centrality and stablish links with other persons; that link becomes a sign and a means to be in touch with Reality ns, in the end, with God, the Reality that is backing all other reality. That link makes us true to ourselves and to other, healing our loneliness and vulnerability.

As I celebrate the Eucharist today, I enter into communion with the Son of David and, as the blind man, I pray: Lord Jesus, have pity on me; make me see and understand your great love, that love that gives colour, truthfulness and sense to what I am an live.

Fr. Antonio Villarino
Roma