Comboni Lay Missionaries

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A Retreat that Leads us to Savor Life

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El silencio es un don de Dios, un don capaz de dar mucho fruto a los que se atreven a "perder" tiempo para ganar calidad de vida, una vida plena que sólo Jesús puede darnos. Todavía estoy saboreando todo lo que escuché, medité y sentí en el retiro de Cuaresma organizado por los Laicos Misioneros Combonianos y orientado por el Padre Horácio Rossas, MCCJ. Como hemos mencionado anteriormente, este tiempo de Cuaresma y, en particular, el tiempo que estuvimos en el retiro, es un tiempo que Dios nos ha regalado para "perder" tiempo con Jesús. Pero en el fondo, quien quiso pasar tiempo con nosotros fue el mismo Jesús. Es increíble, ¿no? Jesús quiso pasar tiempo conmigo y con todo el que se atrevió a salir a su encuentro. Alguien tan importante como Jesús, alguien que es Dios, no sólo quieren saber de mí y quiere estar conmigo, ¡es él quien quiere pasar tiempo conmigo! Se nos invitó a reflexionar sobre varios pasajes bíblicos que nos propusieron. ¡Fue intenso! ¡Fue emocionante! Como ya he mencionado, ¡la vida espiritual necesita momentos de gran silencio exterior y gran trabajo interior! Y este retiro fue muy fértil en momentos de reflexión, en momentos de encuentro personal con Dios y en momentos donde sentir Su amor puro, de una manera tan grande, como aquel momento en que dejó nuestro corazón limpio, después de que el sacramento de la reconciliación. Nada es por casualidad y seguro de que no fue un accidente empezar escuchando al comienzo del retiro, las palabras del Salmo 63: "¡Oh Dios, tu eres mi Dios mío! ¡desde el amanecer ya te estoy buscando! Mi alma tiene sed de ti". Recuerdo como reflexionamos sobre nuestra insistencia en querer hacerlo todo por nosotros mismos. ¡Los discípulos echaron sus redes y no pescaron nada! Pero cuando Jesús aparece... Ah, cuando Jesús aparece, ¡todo cambia! Después de todo, ¡es Él que hace todo posible en nuestras vidas! Qué bueno es entender que todos mis miedos, mis inseguridades, todos los obstáculos pueden ser superados si confío en Dios, un Dios que es amor y que nos ama hasta la última gota de amor. Por otro lado, fuimos invitados a meditar en qué medida permitimos que Dios nos ame... El discípulo amado puedo ser yo, ¡puedes ser tú! ¡El discípulo amado es todo aquel que permite que Dios entre en su vida y se deja amar por Él! ¡El amor de Dios es un regalo gratis! ¡Él no nos ama porque seamos guapos o porque sólo hagamos el bien! ¡Él nos ama tal como somos! ¡Él nos ama con nuestras limitaciones! ¡Él nos ama con nuestros errores! Honestamente siento que Dios me ama a pesar de todas mis debilidades y todos mis errores, me da una alegría y una paz interior que sólo puede venir de Dios... ¡Nunca nos debemos resistir al amor de Dios! ¡Debemos dejarnos amar como somos! También nos invitaron a reflexionar sobre el Cristo resucitado porque quien no hace la experiencia de Cristo resucitado todavía no dio un saltó de fe. La fe en la resurrección nos da una nueva mirada a la realidad. ¡Llegamos a ver la vida de otra manera! ¡Creo, sinceramente que este retiro me ha ayudado mucho en el crecimiento de mi fe! Yo, en realidad, me encontré con Dios varias veces este fin de semana: en las diferentes explicaciones de la palabra de Dios; en las meditaciones personales; en misa; en la reconciliación; en la contemplación de la naturaleza... Terminamos el retiro con la celebración de la Eucaristía dominical. Como la mujer samaritana, todos pedimos a Jesús: "Señor, dame de esa agua". ¡Al final todo es por Él! ¡Gracias Jesús por invitarnos a pasar este hermoso retiro contigo! ¡Eres importante para mí, Eres importante para nosotros, Laicos Misioneros Combonianos! ¡Te queremos! También en la Eucaristía del domingo, la LMC Cristina Sousa, con la familia LMC, declaró su compromiso. También ella hace parte del plan que Comboni soñó, también ella es una de las mil vidas para la misión. LMC PortugalSilence is God’s gift, a gift capable of bearing much fruit for those who dare “waste” the time in order to gain quality of life, the full life that only Jesus can give us. I am still enjoying all that I have listened to, meditated upon and felt at the Lenten retreat organized by the Comboni Lay Missionaries and led by Fr. Horácio Rossas, mccj. As we already mentioned, this time of Lent and, in particular, the time we spent on retreat, is a time that God has given us to “waste” time with Jesus. However, in the end it was Jesus himself who chose to spend time with us. Incredible, no?! Jesus chose to spend time with me and with all those who dared to come to meet him. Someone as important as Jesus, someone who is God, not only wants to know about me and stay with me, but chooses to spend time with me!

El silencio es un don de Dios, un don capaz de dar mucho fruto a los que se atreven a "perder" tiempo para ganar calidad de vida, una vida plena que sólo Jesús puede darnos. Todavía estoy saboreando todo lo que escuché, medité y sentí en el retiro de Cuaresma organizado por los Laicos Misioneros Combonianos y orientado por el Padre Horácio Rossas, MCCJ. Como hemos mencionado anteriormente, este tiempo de Cuaresma y, en particular, el tiempo que estuvimos en el retiro, es un tiempo que Dios nos ha regalado para "perder" tiempo con Jesús. Pero en el fondo, quien quiso pasar tiempo con nosotros fue el mismo Jesús. Es increíble, ¿no? Jesús quiso pasar tiempo conmigo y con todo el que se atrevió a salir a su encuentro. Alguien tan importante como Jesús, alguien que es Dios, no sólo quieren saber de mí y quiere estar conmigo, ¡es él quien quiere pasar tiempo conmigo! Se nos invitó a reflexionar sobre varios pasajes bíblicos que nos propusieron. ¡Fue intenso! ¡Fue emocionante! Como ya he mencionado, ¡la vida espiritual necesita momentos de gran silencio exterior y gran trabajo interior! Y este retiro fue muy fértil en momentos de reflexión, en momentos de encuentro personal con Dios y en momentos donde sentir Su amor puro, de una manera tan grande, como aquel momento en que dejó nuestro corazón limpio, después de que el sacramento de la reconciliación. Nada es por casualidad y seguro de que no fue un accidente empezar escuchando al comienzo del retiro, las palabras del Salmo 63: "¡Oh Dios, tu eres mi Dios mío! ¡desde el amanecer ya te estoy buscando! Mi alma tiene sed de ti". Recuerdo como reflexionamos sobre nuestra insistencia en querer hacerlo todo por nosotros mismos. ¡Los discípulos echaron sus redes y no pescaron nada! Pero cuando Jesús aparece... Ah, cuando Jesús aparece, ¡todo cambia! Después de todo, ¡es Él que hace todo posible en nuestras vidas! Qué bueno es entender que todos mis miedos, mis inseguridades, todos los obstáculos pueden ser superados si confío en Dios, un Dios que es amor y que nos ama hasta la última gota de amor. Por otro lado, fuimos invitados a meditar en qué medida permitimos que Dios nos ame... El discípulo amado puedo ser yo, ¡puedes ser tú! ¡El discípulo amado es todo aquel que permite que Dios entre en su vida y se deja amar por Él! ¡El amor de Dios es un regalo gratis! ¡Él no nos ama porque seamos guapos o porque sólo hagamos el bien! ¡Él nos ama tal como somos! ¡Él nos ama con nuestras limitaciones! ¡Él nos ama con nuestros errores! Honestamente siento que Dios me ama a pesar de todas mis debilidades y todos mis errores, me da una alegría y una paz interior que sólo puede venir de Dios... ¡Nunca nos debemos resistir al amor de Dios! ¡Debemos dejarnos amar como somos! También nos invitaron a reflexionar sobre el Cristo resucitado porque quien no hace la experiencia de Cristo resucitado todavía no dio un saltó de fe. La fe en la resurrección nos da una nueva mirada a la realidad. ¡Llegamos a ver la vida de otra manera! ¡Creo, sinceramente que este retiro me ha ayudado mucho en el crecimiento de mi fe! Yo, en realidad, me encontré con Dios varias veces este fin de semana: en las diferentes explicaciones de la palabra de Dios; en las meditaciones personales; en misa; en la reconciliación; en la contemplación de la naturaleza... Terminamos el retiro con la celebración de la Eucaristía dominical. Como la mujer samaritana, todos pedimos a Jesús: "Señor, dame de esa agua". ¡Al final todo es por Él! ¡Gracias Jesús por invitarnos a pasar este hermoso retiro contigo! ¡Eres importante para mí, Eres importante para nosotros, Laicos Misioneros Combonianos! ¡Te queremos! También en la Eucaristía del domingo, la LMC Cristina Sousa, con la familia LMC, declaró su compromiso. También ella hace parte del plan que Comboni soñó, también ella es una de las mil vidas para la misión. LMC PortugalWe were invited to reflect over various Bible passages that were proposed. It was intense! It was moving! As I have already mentioned, spiritual life needs times of interior silence and a lot of internal work! This retreat was very fertile in moments of reflection, moments of personal encounters with God and in moments where we felt his pure love in such a deep way, such as the moment when he purified our hearts, after the sacrament of reconciliation.  Nothing happens by chance and for sure it was not a coincidence when we listened, at the beginning of the retreat, to the words of Psalm 63: “O God, you are my God. From the dawn of day I look for you. My soul thirsts for you.”

I remember how we reflected on our insistence to do it all by ourselves. The disciples cast their nets and caught nothing! But after Jesus appeared… Ah, when Jesus appears, everything changes! After all, he is the one who makes everything possible in our lives! How good it is to understand that all my fears, my insecurities, my obstacles can be conquered if I trust in God, a God who is love and who loves us to the last drop.

Retiro LMC PortugalOn the other hand, we were invited to meditate in what measure we allow God to love us… The disciple who is loved could be me, or you! The disciple who is loved is anyone who allows God to enter his/her life and consents to be loved by him! The love of God is a free gift! He does not love us because we are good looking or only do good things! He loves us as we are! Loves us without limits! Loves us with our mistakes! Honestly, I feel that God loves me in spite of my weaknesses and mistakes and gives me a joy and the interior peace that can only come from God… We must never put up a resistance to the love of God! We must allow ourselves to be loved as we are!

We were also invited to reflect over the risen Christ, because those who have not yet experienced it have not yet experienced the leap of faith. Faith in the resurrection gives us a new view of reality. We come to see life in a different manner!

I sincerely believe that this retreat has helped me a lot in increasing my faith! I, in fact, met God many times during this weekend: in the various explanations of the word of God; in my personal reflections; at Mass; during reconciliation; in contemplating nature…

We ended the retreat with Sunday Mass. Together with the Samaritan woman, we asked Jesus: “Lord, give us of this water.” In the end qall is for him! Thank you, Jesus, for this invitation to spend this retreat with you! You were important to me, to us, CLM! We love you!

During our Sunday Eucharist the CLM Cristina Sousa, with the entire CLM family, made her commitment. She too is part of the plan Comboni dreamed of, she is one of the thousand lives for mission.

Retiro LMC Portugal

CLM Portugal

María Augusta writes from Mongoumba (Central African Republic)

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Maria Augusta LMCDear CLM, friends, family …
Anna and I are fine, thank God. The fathers in Mongoumba have malaria; we hope that with the medical treatment they will recover soon.
Fr Jesus has been in Spain. The first fifteen days accompanying the Cardinal and the Imam of Bangui who were receiving the prize of “Fraternity” offered by the Comboni magazine “Mundo Negro”. He also takes advantage of the journey to make missionary animation and sensitize about the reality that we are living here. He has also spent some time with his family.
The small Merveille returned on the 13th of this month after two months of hospitalization. I was impressed because of the way she came back. She has recover the weight she had with four months 3.5 kg when she already weighed almost 5… She suffered a lot! They have also found her tuberculosis and are treating it. I hope she quickly regain the lost weight. May the Lord do what is best for her.
The stay of the CLM Irene, from Congo, was very good. She wants to return to share her life with this people for a longer period. I learned many practical things with her on health issues, with medicines and products from nature. I liked being with her, I think she’s a real comboni. On January 2, when she had to return the barge broke in the middle of the river and went down the river with four cars, stopping after two kilometers. Only after three days it returned to its place and we were able to recover the car. Irene had the plane on day 3 so a father from Mbaiki had to come for her. She managed to pass the river by canoe. That night she slept in Mbaiki and very early in day 3 she left for Bangui, getting thus to travel to Kinshasa. It was a great adventure!
From January 23 to February 15, Anna’s father and sister were with us. They came to visit her. Communication was difficult because they only speak Polish. Through gestures and with the translation of Anna we made ourselves understood. How nice it would be if there was a language that everyone may talk…
In the month of January, we sent to Mbaiki to 5 young fellows from the parish to take training and then teach children around 3-5 years old (pre-primary). If it goes well, we will open three classes in three villages.
Yesterday, I brought from Mbaiki 3 couples, responsible for the chapels, with their 8 smaller children, they leave everything… The Lord will reward them!
We are helping a pygmy woman who has breast cancer. We took her to Bangui, stayed in the hospital for two months, where they did many tests and finally brought her to Mongoumba worse than she was. Every day he comes to eat with the Pygmy students who come to school. We also took the time to heal the breast. We give her tea that she says is helping her. Only a miracle can save her, pray for her, please. May Mary intercede for her along with her son Jesus!
For two months I have not left Mongoumba. Traveling tires me a lot because the roads are in very bad condition, full of bumps.
I wish all the laity and the family a good Lent and a holy conversion.

Maria Augusta LMC
Always united in prayer.
A Missionary Embrace.
Maria Augusta. CLM in Mongoumba.

In the Spirit of Christmas we celebrated together another weekend as breat as the CLM of Portugal!

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LMC Portugal

On December 9-11The CLM of Portugal held another meeting in Santarem.

In the Spirit of Christmas we celebrated together another weekend as breat as the CLM of Portugal!

Each meeting begins with a welcome, warm hugs, laughter and jokes typical of people who meet in a joyful mood and hoping to spend the day conversing with each member of this growing “family,” sharing in friendship.

On Saturday morning, after prayer and breakfast, we started with the report from Rufina García on the topic of “Refugees in the world and in Portugal.” Following the presentation of this very relevant reality, she spoke to us of her work in the Caritas of Porto Alegre, Brazil, as an example of how much needs to be done for refugees who run away from war, with nothing, hoping to survive and find peace. Following the charism of St. Daniel Comboni and remembering the challenge formulated at the European meeting of the CLM, we need to keep track of this crisis and act accordingly.

LMC Portugal

Later, we were asked to put ourselves in the shoes of a refugee from different continents and build a Christmas tree with our desires and dreams. Only by placing ourselves in other people’s situation can we begin to understand a bit of their sorrow and become attentive to the refugees’ problems.

Finally we listened to the story of two refugees from Pakistan, Nadia and Milam. They told us about some of the many difficulties they encountered and still face. Nadia arrived about a year ago, thanks to the work of Caritas, but she does not speak Portuguese, because it has not been possible for her to exercise her right to be taught the language. Milam, currently unemployed and a driver by profession, arrived in Portugal four years ago after a six months journey. His greatest desire is to get his driver’s license in Portugal and find a job.

On Saturday afternoon, we held several activities designed to make us know the difference in the economic power of the different continents. The inequalities are abysmal! Finally, we were invited to go to the meeting of “love” which includes a time for reflection and personal prayer.

LMC Portugal

In the evening we had a time of relaxation together with other members who were not even present, such as Marisa, with whom we conversed extensively through Skype. In the spirit of Christmas we exchanged small gifts and good wishes.

On Sunday, family members and friends joined us for the Eucharist. After that we had the opportunity to listen to the witness of the CLM Elia, who recently returned after five years of missionary work in the Republic of Central Africa.

LMC Portugal

She spoke of “Christmas in Mission.” The sharing of Elia, simple and real, was marvelous and enriching, especially for us candidates who have not yet had mission experience. Other lay people joined us to share more briefly their experiences of Christmas lived in the missions, in poverty, but rich of the real meaning of Christmas, without materialism, consumerism and the distractions that are inescapable in our western world.

The desire to continue this path of formation and of sharing was evident in all of us. Following the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus, let us put our trust in the Lord.

We wish you all the continuation of a happy Advent! Let us welcome Jesus who may be coming, who knows in the person of a refugee!

By Gloria Rocha

Passing through Bangui

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Ania LMC

We arrived in Bangui to meet Irene, a CLM coming from Kinshasa. She is from the Democratic Republic of Congo group and will stay with us for about a month. A very charming person. May God allow us to give her a good missionary experience and an unforgettable one for her.

We brought along one of the orphans to whom we feed maternal milk. Her name is Mervelle (Wonder) and she weighed around 4 pounds at birth. She is now five months old, is growing normally and weighs in at 11 pounds, but by December 2 she had lost over a pound and the grandmother said that she had diarrhea. We immediately sent her to the UNT and she was admitted. She was undernourished, and had a fever on a daily basis… Both the director of the hospital and Tenda, another medical colleague, thought that she may suffer from meningitis, so on Wednesday we decided to transfer her to Bangui.

We reached Emergency, an Italian NGO working in the pediatric division of the hospital in Bangui, on Friday around noon and left at four. She was checked from top to bottom and x-rays of her lungs were taken. In the end, Mervelle, our Wonder, was admitted to the ICU for pneumonia, and with symptoms of meningitis, anemia and malaria.

They immediately started to give her oxygen. It was difficult to get enough of her blood for analysis. May God help her to recover quickly, if it is his will! May he watch over her. Today is Sunday and, thanks be to God, a nurse told us that she is doing better.

On December 8 we celebrated the closing of the Year of Mercy with the participation of the entire parish. The Eucharist was very lengthy and lasted three hours, but everyone was happy. At 6:00 in the morning we said the rosary, accompanied by many songs, as we took the image of Mary in procession through the communities of Mongoumba. The faces of our people were glowing with joy and with devotion to our Heavenly Mother.

The Family Jubilee was a success. We held catechesis for both parents and their children. It was good to see the parents and their children take part in the Eucharist together, because they usually do it separately. After Mass, each couple went out looking for a couple that was not married in Church, taking upon themselves the responsibility to catechize them and prepare them to receive the sacrament.

We also want everyone to know that now we have a new car! We thank the Comboni Missionaries of six provinces who shared with us the donations of their benefactors. We are grateful to God who gave them the inspiration to help us, to show solidarity and love.

Do not forget to pray for us. We pray for you.

WE WISH YOU ALL A HOLY CHRISTMAS AND A GOOD 2017 FILLED PEACE, JOY AND MUCH LOVE.

Hugs and kisses from the CLM Anna and Maria Augusta

Mongoumba, CAR

“The worth of our mission is not in what we do but in the One who sends us”

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LMC Portugal

“The worth of our mission is not in what we do but in the One who sends us”

Fr. Ivo, Comboni Missionary

The third formation meeting took place in Viseu, Portugal, on November 18-20. The topic was “Mission today: How? Why? To what end? The Church in action.” The CLM Susana Vilas Boas was in charge of the organization of this weekend.

Susana opened the first formation session questioning us with this quote by Fr. Ivo, which eventually served as the guideline for the entire meeting. It tells us that we are sent by the Father who is always with us and in whom we place all our trust.
LMC PortugalTo me in particular it gave the assurance that I am not walking alone, that he helps me and will stay with me come what may.

The CLM vocation, just like any other Christian vocation, is not limited to “me”, but always includes “us.” It is very good to discover and to feel it.

The meeting was divided into two sessions: The Acts of the Apostles and the CLM Directory.

I greatly enjoy rediscovering the Acts of the Apostles. With Susana, we lived through the book, some of the more important events, the historical background and, finally, in small groups we were able to delve more deeply into some of the events described by Luke.

On Saturday afternoon, after sharing the group work, we started on the second part. It was a good moment for clarifying some doubts and some crucial aspects in the CLM formation journey.

The evening was spent together with charades on the Acts of the Apostles, with some partying, good conversation and… jokes.

On Sunday morning, it was great to be able to listen to Marcia Costa, who told us about how and when she joined the CLM, her family’s reaction when she decided to leave for the Republic of Central Africa, how she lived and what she did. It was also good to listen to Susana and to understand a little better the realities they faced, and the challenges. We also had the beautiful witness of Ana and Arthur Valente, a couple who upon retirement gave their life to mission work.

Well… It is great to realize that there is not a set age, and that we have a lot of time to do good and make a difference.

LMC Portugal

By Sofia Coelho