Bits of the Gospel

I've seen the sunset today! Oh, not because it is the first time I watch the sunset. No. I have seen the sunset many times. However, this sunset is unique. It is the last of 2012. People, this sunset was beautiful! It is the crowning of a beautiful year 2012 (and the ushering of a new beautiful 2013!). yes, when one year passes and another comes, when we change the calendar and start a fresh, we have a chance to see life as it is. Life is turning a new leaf every day. Life is not about the old memories but these old ones and their birthing of the new ones! I've no wishes for 2013, or better, my wishes are already contained in the promises given in 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009.... yes, in those years passed. Someone reminded me today that I have been busy and I look tired. That is obvious. Given the busy schedule of this year, I can only sit back and with a smile thank God. I'm surprised at how many activities I've undertaken this year and carried to completion. I'm sur

LOVE AND THAT WILL BE ENOUGH St Peter Wrote, "Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins"(1 Peter 4:8. All the initiatives may mean nothing unless we undertake a serious examination of conscience. Do we actually do what we do for love, purely for love and nothing else? EVENT TENTS FOR MISSION Kisarawe Parish of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar Es Salaam is located in the Coastal Region of Tanzania. The climate is hot and humid throughout the year apart from the month of June and July when temperatures lower. Due to these climatic conditions, events are better done out in the open rather than in the halls. Even faith gatherings and seminars require planning such that spending on power bills is eliminated or at least cut significantly since outside there is no need of fans or coolers. Kisarawe Parish needs events tents in order to organize a series of faith formation meetings and seminars under an initiative by Cottolengo Society

Tanzania Facts Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. This is iconic Africa—the one that exists in the mind's eye. • Snowcapped Kilimanjaro vies with packs of wildebeest, their hooves pounding the hardpan of the Serengeti Plain. • Wedged between Kenya to the north and Mozambique to the south, hard on the Indian Ocean, Tanzania has been blessedly untroubled by the strife that has racked so much of the continent. • The powdery, palm-fringed coast and serene inland lakes offer beaches. • Then there are the spice islands of the Zanzibar Archipelago. • Dr. David Livingstone got lost here looking for the source of the Nile. Henry Stanley finally found him, uttering his legendary greeting. Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, includes the spice islands of Zan

Let's reflect using the "mind" of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. May be that will be a little bit tricky but it feels as if the only sensible thing to do is to try even tricky things. When a person in need shows up in front of me, or I happen to bump on one, a feeling grips me that shows that I need to do something. And that does not come as a light feeling. Is is a feeling by the way? I think the very presence of a needy person provokes me to act. It stirs the Love of Christ in me, which in turn pushes me to act. The Love of Christ possesses us! St Paul wrote in the Second Letter to Corinthians, chapter fifteen verse fourteen. Possessed, urged, impelled by this love, love becomes a style of life. We live to love and love to live. Think about it. How does it feel to help someone who really needs your help? Relieving, humbling, joyous, useful.... It feels all that and more. Because Christ's love is the purpose of our life and the strength of our actions, all ou

In fulfilling my priorities for this year, (one of the top one is "to live and speak in solidarity with the suffering Christ in the Parish", I have embarked in listening attentively to the needs of these parishioners. I'm convinced that one of the most important ways that a priest can "Shepherd" those afflicted in one way or another is to spend quality time with them. Sometmes all that is needed is an hour-chat, concluding with a prayer. At other times a number of one-on-one encounters, often accompanied with scripture reflection and meeting summary. To be able to do this and to enjoy it makes it a sign of a shepherd's love for the sheep. Rooted in the Gospel values and impelled by the Love of Christ, a pastor can actually become "the Other Christ" among the people of God. I believe it! Reflect: Mark 3;14-15

I would like to share with you this reflection which is based on the question of the Lord Jesus himself, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the passover with my Disciples?" (Mk. 14:14) Easter is near. The disciple are aware of this. Easter with all its festivities evokes a sense of meaning and pride for them. Yet, this Easter is like no other. They are unaware. Jesus asks hospitality from a stranger. He wants to share this Paschal meal with them now because this is not "like any other" as the disciples think. Sorry. It is not even the "Last" as we think! This Paschal event is the "First". There has been no other like this! The one who welcomes Jesus is not even among his acquintances leave alone his disciples. Strange enough, this "Unknown" person has the room ready!Then stranger than this Jesus considers this room his room. Notice the question, "Where is my guest room...?" That room is His. My brothers and sisters, this

I have officially removed the post on Cottolengo Centre, Nairobi which has been on this blog for many months attracting many readers. I believe the activity of Cottolengo followers in Kenya is still relevant and very much up to date. I believe the upgrading of activities and the reviewing of mission, vision and objectives of the centre have made the services more humane, more familiar, and even more relevant for the youth and children who benefit from the centre. Meanwhile, the reader may wish to find out more on Cottolengo centre, Nairobi, and other Cottolengo centre in Africa on the Blog The Cottolengo Family, Africa. There you find many articles, photos and other relevant posts concerning this noble activity.

I posted a reflection on the feast of Ascension last year and that post has attracted attention of many visitors to my Blog. This year I want to add a little more of that on this particular feast. The apostle says: “If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies." "The things above..." In the Eastern rites the feast of Ascension was known as analepsis, the taking up (...above), and also as the episozomene, the salvation, denoting that by ascending into His glory Christ completed the work of our redemption. Taking up and redeeming. These two verbs remind us of two gestures that Jesus did during his ministry. He “held up”, helped up many. He saved many from

Vocati ons Vocation, according to popular definition is the seed of the Word of God in the human heart which directs him to a certain way of life. It is, therefore, personal because it is found in the heart, a specific heart. It is at the same time profoundly social, because it is not meant for purely personal gains but above all for a community.Vocation must also be understood as sacred or divine wherein the divine touch is involved in the planting of that "seed" and in the response to that call within. Now, another definition of a vocation is a call. This seems to be part of the previous definition. I tend to value this kind of understanding because it insists on the human dimension of "being addressed", being in relationship with fellow human beings and with God. That relationship symbolised by a call is a two way affair. Now, man calls upon God in prayer in which case he requests, prays for his needs. On the other hand, God calls man to enter into a deeper rel

This is Vocations' week. The Fourth Sunday of Easter this year falls on Sunday, April 29, 2012. It is forty ninth edition. This week coincides with the novena of St. Joseph Cottolengo. What a coincidence! Then the message of Pope Benedict XVI talks of vocation as the gift of the Love of God. That places vocation at the heart of all the mystery of incarnation and the salvation history. The Pope writes: "Every specific vocation is in fact born of the initiative of God; it is a gift of the Love of God! He is the One who takes the “first step”, and not because he has found something good in us, but because of the presence of his own love “poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5).In every age, the source of the divine call is to be found in the initiative of the infinite love of God, who reveals himself fully in Jesus Christ." St. J B Cottolengo too thought that to be "called into the Little House of the Divine Providence is a sign of favor"

Lord, help us see again! That we may see again the tragic fact of drug addicts, of alcoholics, of workaholics, and other addicts. Open our eyes to see their tears, and our ears to hear their continuous cry. Above all help us to open our hearts and do something to help them. Lord,help us to find out ways to help them. Help us build a rehab for them, a rehab that first of all is found in our hearts and then in buildings. Lord, this group is ignored. Their poverty is overlooked. That already justifies our attention to them but especially because you want them to experience your love. Amen! NB: Sometimes I wonder whether we are not too much interested in doing other things such that we fail to see the addicts right inside our homes, our schools, our parishes and even to see the addicts that we are!

I must release others from all my attempts to control, coerce, and dominate them with my love. In their freedom from me, other persons want to be loved for who they are, as those for whoom Christ became a human being, died, and rose again, as those for whom Christ won the forgiveness of sins and prepared eternal life. This is the meaning of the claim that we can encounter others only through the mediation of Christ. Love as the deed of simple obedience is death to the old self and the self's discovery to exist now in the righteousness of Christ and in one's brothers and sisters. [Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Meditation and Prayer] Why is there so much urge to hold on and control, manipulate and use others? Trinity blessed, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, hear us. O Lord, deliver us from from this vice. Teach us to let others free as you do. To your glory and praise. Amen!

Lent kicks off with that evangelical call: Repent and believe the Good News. Lent is really a time to renew one's life. The things to be done emerge from the Liturgy of Ash Wednesday: Pray, Fight evil by fasting, and offerings. Then, we have Ashes calling us to the reality of our humanity. We are "made of clay", simple earthenware which should by all means "bring us down" to our senses. That act of imposition of ashes right on our foreheads makes us reflect [moreover when we see ashes on the foreheads of our brothers and sisters]. We are not only reminded of our precariousness but also of the need to rely on God. That cannot be possible unless we are humble enough to take seriously the call to repent and believe the Good News! The image of sackcloth is very touching. We are not dressed in "purple linen". Nothing close to that. We dress in the rough sackcloth [made of sisal threads!] to remind us of our duty to fight the evil. What evil? The evil wi

[This is an exerpt of a reflection given by a young boy during sharing the Word of God.] The destiny of the Christian who is called is to share a life with Christ in glory. [Rom 5:2] I realize that the promise is contained in the Word "in hope". Without that hope, the upward calling does not make sense. Hope raises my eyes up to the one who has promised me GLORY. I'm not seeking this glory that the world gives in abundance but that fades away easily. I thank God for you all, my brothers and sisters, my fellow youth and you Fr. Nicholas. This kind of sharing makes my prayer richer. I want to pray more when I discover that God desires it too. Thank you!

Lent is a period or better a season wherein one reviews a number of setbacks in his life and tries to find remedy for them. It is a season calling for personal responsibility. To be Proactive is to accept and take responsibility for your life. You can't keep on blaming your parents or grandparents for everything. A Proactive person recognizes that they are "response-abled." Genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning are not to blame for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. A reactive person, on the other hand, is often affected by their surrounding. He/she finds external sources to blame for his/her behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. External forces act as stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power--you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is wha

Lord, I now know that my days are a gift from you. When I am down and weary; it is time to rest not to be restless. Troubled by your apparent silence, I now know you are always there, sitting besides me. Your presence is your answer! Each restless minute spent next to you distracts me from noticing your presence, and I continue to feel down and down, lonely and bereft. Lord, it is then that you place your ever so tender right hand on me. Yet, deep into the dreadful distraction, I fail to feel that gentle touch, because so gently it is that only in calmness and stillness of heart can it be felt. You raise me up then and I stand on the hilltop; to see far, farther than my vision is used to. You help me to walk on wearly land. Yet I forget that it is your strength and not mine. I fail to see that I am up on your shoulders. I raise myself up more than I am or can be. Lord, I now know that I have to learn to journey with you, alongside you. I have to wait patiently as you point out

A Requirement in the Daily Life of a Cottolengo Follower Introduction A debate concerning the relevance of religious life in the world today arises frequently. This kind of debate is very much found in the environment of secularism and opulence [riches]. In the circles of the poor and middle class, people do not question the validity of religious life: they embrace it, they laud it, they desire it, and actually they seek for it. One can easily see why. Religious life is synonymous with charity, selflessness, self-giving, and concern. I mean, it is synonymous to virtues. In fact, charity is defined in different ways but always retaining the sense of gratuitouness. “True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense,”Emanuel Swedenborg. “Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows,” Moliere. So, therefore, cottolengo followers cannot just look at charity as their distinguishing charact

May be my reader will see this as a comeback. Yes, is could be rightly though so. After a long time without blogging, I'm here to give you an idea of what was going on through out this period of silence. 1. Vocations Seminar @ Tuuru: in December 2011 2. Vocations Seminar @ Kisarawe: Mid December 2011 3. Christmas and New Year: Kisarawe 4. The Cardinal Archbishop of Dar Es Salaam joins the Cottolengo Family present in Kisarawe (Dar Es Salaam) in a thanksgiving Mass for the Beatification of Blessed Francesco Paleari [16/01/2012]. 5. Graduation of Form Six Students: Kisarawe The pastoral initiatives at Kisarawe, always provoked by the need of the Christians and executed with innovations and creativity by the pastoral agents, require such breaks of Technology. Meanwhile, I'm back and this means we can expect more posts here. Thanks