Oral Literature: The Crocodile & the Cockerel
Once upon a time, the crocodile was king of the animals. He was holding court one day. He sat majestically on his throne as he received petitions from his subjects and issued orders. A large crowd had gathered at the court on that day.
Gospel reflection for the XXV Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
In service all benefit from the greatness of one. Whoever is great in service, is great and makes others great; rather than raising himself above others, he raises others with him. Alessandro Manzoni concludes his poetic evocation of Napoleon’s ventures with the question: “Was it true glory? In posterity the arduous sentence.”
A pimp was that book!
A ‘church kid’ dreams of becoming a botanist. He loves reading short novels. One day, he lays his hands on a booklet titled “If the seed falls…” and buys it. It is not a work on botany. He feels fooled. Yet, he reads it all the same… and his life changes radically.
OGF 9/2018 Letter to the People of God
With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives.
OGF 8/2018 Change, Loss and Grief: Companions on the Journey
As we move through the life course, our very wandering is similar to the concept of peregrinatio. We move from place to place, life event to life event, and situation to situation with, perhaps, a general idea of what lies ahead and, at other times, perhaps not. Yet, we go forward because of the life that calls us to movement.
OGF 7/2018 How the Spirit guides the Church
“One of the things I think needs to happen is a change in attitude on the part of the magisterium, especially the Roman Magisterium. They must move away from the position that they are expected to have all the answers to an attitude of listening to public opinion in the Church”
Kenya: Maasai – The Course Of Life
Exact rites mark the passage to an age group or becoming a member of a particular group. In this way, identity and world vision are preserved.
Missionaries of Africa: A great gift
This year, the Missionaries of Africa (also known as the White Fathers) celebrate 150 years of their foundation. The society was founded in Algeria on the 19th October, 1868, by Cardinal Charles Lavigerie and it focuses on evangelism and education in the African continent.
Jean Vanier’s ’10 rules for life to become more human’
Jean Vanier turned ninety this week. To commemorate the occasion he released a YouTube video laying out his “ten rules for life to become more human” by sharing his thoughts on life and on growing older. He speaks about success, vulnerability, listening, fear and love.
Oral Literature: The Leopard & The Rabbit
Once upon a time the Leopard lived in a small house far way in the bush. After thinking for a long time he decided to look for a better place. After a short time he found a suitable place nearer the other animals.
Gospel reflection for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Regrettably we must state that Peter’s error has been repeated in history. Also certain men of the Church, and even Successors of Peter, have behaved at certain times as if the Kingdom of God was of this world and should be affirmed with the victory (if necessary also with arms) over enemies
Oral Literature: The Magic Crocodile
There was once a very big cave. It was divided into two parts being dry and the bottom part filled with water. In the bottom part there lived a crocodile.
Gospel reflection for the 23th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
We are deaf when we shut ourselves in, out of pride, in an aloof and resentful silence, while perhaps with just one word of excuse or forgiveness we could return peace and serenity to the home.
Impact Of Small Arms Proliferation On Africa
The consequences of small arms on African people due to international conflicts within Africa, rebel group activities, mercenary groups, and armed gang activities have yet to be fully measured. Armed conflict cost Africa $18 billion each year.
Swahili Myth – Heaven And Earth
When God’s moment had come, he began creating the world of matter. He rolled out the day-sky and the night-sky like an immense tent, or like carpets full of mysterious signs and symbols.
Gospel reflection for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
The evangelists would not have retained these harsh words of the Master if he had not understood the perennial relevance of the risk of introducing into the Church this hypocritical worship and the danger of equating the law of God with the traditions of humans.
Balance sheet on Pope’s trip to Ireland: Who won and lost
ROME – Now that the dust has begun to settle on Pope Francis’s whirlwind 32-hour visit to Ireland over the weekend, it’s time to step back and draw some tentative conclusions about how the pontiff fared, as well as who else gained and lost from the experience.
We can only move forward when we name the evil of clericalism
Clericalism, whether fostered by priests themselves or by lay persons, leads to an excision in the ecclesial body that supports and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we are condemning today. To say “no” to abuse is to say an emphatic “no” to all forms of clericalism.
Australia: The couple who planted a church and the suburb that grew it
Churches are closing nationwide, but the ‘church planting’ industry is booming. Meet the millennials building a multicultural congregation from a lawn bowls club.
Swahili Myth – How Man Was Moulded
One day, God called together his angels. They all appeared before His Throne, performing the ritual prayer of morning-time. Then the Lord spoke: It has pleased Me to decide that I will create a being – with brains like you, but his substance will be clay. I will mould him out of earth, and on earth he will live.
Gospel reflection for the XXI Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
There’s something that Peter doesn’t forget: «You have the message of eternal life». He feels that Jesus’ words aren’t empty or deceitful words. Alongside of Jesus they have discovered life anew. His message has opened for them a life eternal. Where could they find better news of God?
My Vocation: a journey of valued little decisions
My journey has been an ordinary story of events led by the hand of God. It is a journey of valued little decisions that can best be contemplated as a whole and can only be beautiful if seen by a panoramic view at the end. My parent’s decision to have me baptized, the decisions to keep away from sin, concentrate on school, to be active at church…
Gospel reflection for the XX Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
The experience of «live in» Jesus and allow Jesus to «live in» us can transform our life at its root. This mutual interchange, this intimate communion, difficult to express in words, constitutes the true relationship of the disciple with Jesus. This is what it means to follow him, sustained by his very life-force.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary—the “handmaid of the Lord”—is presented today to all believers not as a privileged one, but as the most excellent model, as the sign of destiny that awaits every person who believes “that the Lord’s word would come true” (Lk 1:45).
Oral Literature: The Lion And Jabu
There was a young herd boy named Jabu. He took great pride in the way in which he cared for his father’s cattle. And his father had many cows. It was quite a task to keep these cows out of trouble, away from the farmer’s mealies (corn) and out of the dangerous roads.
The Water Brother: “When people see me they see water!”
He witnessed hundreds of people being killed in his mission in West Pokot, north-west of Kenya. Several times he was threatened and attacked but he never left the missions. He has spent 42 years in the missions serving God’s people and he is still going on strong.
Saudi Arabian ‘monastery’ challenges ban on Christianity
Camillo Ballin, the Catholic bishop of Northern Arabia, complains that nothing has changed for Saudi Arabia’s Christians. Private prayer is tolerated, but the public display of Christian symbols is not. Communion in a country that bans wine is problematic. Priests sneak in as cooks or mechanics to tend to their flocks.
Gospel reflection for the XIX Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
According to John’s story, Jesus repeats each time more openly that he comes from God to offer everyone a food that gives life eternal. The people can’t keep listening to something so scandalous without reacting. They know his parents. How can he say he comes from God?
Fidelity and Change: Pope Francis, the Death Penalty and the Threat of Neo-Traditionalism
Pope Francis’s recent decision to change the teaching of the Catechism concerning the death penalty – that it is always “inadmissible” – is supposed to be a moment of rejoicing in the Catholic Church, as has been the case for the vast majority of Catholics. But for other Catholics, especially neo-traditionalist Catholics…
Science versus Scientism
The problem with scientism, or one of its many problems, is that it tends to be prejudiced and therefore not very scientific…
Why the cave man is superior to “progressive” pride and prejudice.
Lord, what about me?
The funny thing in all this development of my vocation to religious life was that God did not tell me in clear terms that this was my vocation. There was no evident sign pointing to it. As we know in the Old Testament, God spoke to Moses, to a people, to prophets, even to kings… Besides, in the Sacred Scripture, we meet with visions, angels, and messengers; then there are dreams and voices. And what about me?
Gospel reflection for the XVIII Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
When they heard his words, those people of Capernaum cried out from the depths of their hearts: «Sir, give us that bread always». With our wavering faith, we sometimes don’t dare to ask for such a thing. Perhaps we only worry about the food for each day. And sometimes just for ourselves alone.
The pope’s long, hot summer
Will Francis make the necessary and radical changes needed to save the Catholic Church from its ongoing meltdown? He can no longer ignore what is clearly the biggest crisis to hit the Catholic Church at least since the Reformation. And it is one that has only just begun and will eventually spread to the Church in other parts of the world.
Christian, Take Courage. Build my House!
As I look back to these ten years of pastoral work, I (personally) did not build much, but we (together) built a Christian community more mature in faith and concern for each other. This I believe is the House of Jesus. I am grateful to the Lord that let me live in his house and with his people.
Ghanaians are now living in ‘captivity’ – Catholic Bishop cries
The Catholic Bishop of Wiawso Diocese, Bishop Joseph Francis Kweku Essien has described the current situation Ghana as a country and its citizens are facing as a state of “captivity in our own land”.
Gospel reflection for the XVII Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Of all the things done by Jesus during his prophetic activity, the most remembered by the first Christian communities was surely a huge meal organized by him out in the countryside, near the lake of Galilee. It’s the only story recounted in all the Gospels.
Oral Literature: Wanjiru – Sacrificed By Her Family
The sun beat down mercilessly and there was no sign of any rain. This happened one year, and it happened again a second year, and even a third year, so … Continua a leggere
Gospel reflection for the XVI Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
In the Church we need to learn to gaze at the people as Jesus did: catching on to the suffering, the loneliness, the confusion or the isolation that many suffer. Compassion doesn’t spring from paying attention to norms or remembering our duties. It awakens in us when we look attentively at those who suffer.
