Infoirm Magazine

In this issue:       

Community living Personal reflections and experiences God’s mercy and Justice Caring for our common home Technological Gadgets: service or slavery to humanity?

Ordination as fruit of Formation Light moments and poems

MAY 2016 #

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EDITORIAL The scholastic year 2015/2016 has come to a close. As a formation community we thank our God the merciful Father for His protection throughout the year. It has been a year of hard work in all aspects of formation.

The students have had the opportunity to learn much about living in a home together with brothers from different countries and different cultures. In the larger community they learned to respect the time table and to take on various tasks with a sense of responsibility and accountability to ensure the smooth running of the formation program. A very large portion of the time and energy of the students has been dedicat-

ed to the academic formation at Tangaza University College.

And now the time has come for moving on. A number of students will after a few months holidays at home with their families proceed to the Mission Experience Program (MEP) for two years, others will go to different parishes or institutions for a six weeks pastoral exposure. Before all this, however, everyone will take part in the 150 years’ Jubilee celebrations and the Perpetual Oath celebration of four students in Kisumu on 21st May. The reality of separation causes sadness.

Depending on what direction our journey takes us some of us may not meet again in this world. We wish each other well and take with us the promise of our Lord : ‘I am with you always.’

SOME POINTS TO NOTE

A PRIEST IS ALWAYS WRONG BECAUSE…..

.Did you know that that putting dry tea The contemporary society has become too bags in gym bags or in smelly shoes will judgmental on priests, never the less some reduce the smell? priests have also given reasons for this .Did you know that those who laugh often are healthier than those who don't laugh at all.

attitude to grow from time to time in the minds of the people, he is a priest yet he is human therefore liable to errors. But some times he his judged by the people without mercy such as

.Did you know that it takes just 17 muscles If he begins mass on time, they say his to smile and 72 to frown?

watch is advanced, but if he does a minute

.Did you know that sleeping without pil- later they say he keeps people waiting. If low reduces back pains and keep your spine he owns a car he is luxurious but if he doesn't have one he is said to be behind his stronger? present generation.

.Did you know that the youngest part of a If he goes out to visit families, he is always man’s body is the tooth? out but if he stays in the office to do some for the growth of the church, he has .Did you know that if a part of your body work no time for the people. If he takes time in falls asleep you can almost always wake it the confessional, he is too slow but if he up by shaking your head which has your does it too fast , he has no time for his penibrain? tents. If he is with the youth, he has no time for the old, if he is with the old he has

.Did you know that a person’s height is no time for the youth. determined by the fathers and the weight If he is young, he has no experience, if he is by the mother’s? .Did you know that the most intelligent humans use only less than 10% of their intelligence while the dolphin uses up to 20% of theirs? .Did you know according to Albert Einstein, if honey bees were to disappear from the face of the earth, humans will be death within four days?

.Did you know a man can survive for 5 days without water and food but a woman can do for 8 days?

old, he should retire. So long as the priest lives there is always someone better than him, but if a priest dies there is hardly someone to take his place. Lets love our priests and see Christ in them.

The criticisms however have helped priests to be aware of what people can be thinking of the them, therefore it sometimes acts as material for effective maturity. The work of the priest is to serve the people by bringing God to them through teaching of his precepts, sanctifying them, celebrating the sacraments, blessing. He also takes their petitions to God during the celebration of the sacraments. In short the priest is hu-

.Did you know that learning a language is man phase of divine Compassion, the most easy thing for a child?

ALWAYS PRAY FOR THE PRIESTS

. Did you know that it takes 144 yrs for a plastic bottle to undergo decay?

JAKOB KIRCHLER

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tempt in our local environments to preserve nature, we should mind our ecosystem, we should minimize the waste of resources by so doing we are taking care of the mother earth our common home and making it a better place for all who live in it.

NKONGHO PAUL

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FAMBO ATHANASUIS EDITORS

POEM: DEATH!!!!!!

NKONGHO PAUL MARK OWOR

A. Oh Death! Who are you? Are you a friend? Are you an enemy? Are you a stranger?

Oh Death! Are you so irrational? Why take our friends and loved ones away?

Oh Death! Why? You even sweep our enemies too? Why? Even those who know you not?

Oh Death! I don’t want to think about you. Do I love you? Hate you? Think about you?

Don’t you fear God?

SHIKANDER SOPHAPOTI LAY OUT NKONGHO PAUL MODERATOR

B. Oh Death! Aren’t you old enough to stop being so powerful? No one resists you successfully; why so?

Oh Death! Who are your parents? Do you have a family? Do you? Why? Who are you? Open up...

Oh Death! Kill your parents and family too, and friends; kill them; all of them. Do you have favourites?

Oh death! Do you have life? Do you know who loves you most? Who hates you most?

Why weren’t you aborted? The Maputo protocol should advocate for your abortion, not our unborn children. Who are you? What do you want? Don’t you fear God? When will you be dead?

C. Oh Death! I want to be your lover; your comrade and companion. I have heard about you.

Read about you for many years. I have never understood you.

Oh Death! What do you want? A lover? A friend? What virtues of a lover do you want? Who can love you?

Who can shun you? Do you know this?

Oh Death! You make our lives appear worthless; we can’t stop thinking about you.

Oh Death! Who are you? Why do you do what you do? Always moving. Everywhere we see your foot prints; we are threatened by you presence but can certainly not point a finger at you. Don’t you fear God? Who is your Father?

D. Oh Death! Who are you? Answer me. Are you a friend? Are you an enemy? Answer me. Why? Who are you? You; your name, your identity? Is it love that brings you to us or detestation? I don’t know you, but I know you exist. Your paintings are far and wide.

From a surface look, everything ends in you. Who are you? A lover? A friend? An enemy?

NKINEN. U. NCHE

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JACOB KIRCHLER

TANGAZA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE The Knowledge House Tangaza University College is one of the brightest Catholic theology institutions in Kenya. Many professors and students step in.

The professors come here to share the knowledge they have acquired and stored.

Every year a number of students come to gain knowledge. At the same time every year a number of students depart from here after receiving knowledge. The professors and the students play the primary role in this house: professors as the providers of knowledge and students as the receivers of knowledge.

Tangaza is a source and treasure house of knowledge. It has the ability and capacity to provide sufficient knowledge. It keeps the receivers busy and active both mentally and physically. The receivers fully engage themselves on their assignments, research works, CAT (Continuous Assessment Test),

personal studies and exams. Through their committed involvement they form themselves into effective learners and seekers of knowledge. Seeking knowledge becomes their central task. Tangaza motivates her receivers to spare no effort in order to broaden their minds and enhance their knowledge. The virtues of curiosity and studiousness make the receivers to be knowledgeable. The two virtues are found and exercised among the receivers in Tangaza.

Tangaza stands as the source and treasure house of knowledge. A lot of knowledge is stored in this particular house in order to be cultivated and utilised by the receivers. The house encourages the receivers to grow intellectually. It is extremely rich in knowledge and the knowledge is safely pr eser ved for the receivers.

The house is always available and ready to provide more knowledge. The preservation of the knowledge and the knowledge of the house identify the house to be “the Knowledge House”.

SIKANDAR SOBHAPOTI

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HEARTFELT HOMAGE TO DEPARTED of help to their community. Some of them MILL HIM MISSIONARIES fought for the freedom and human dignity.

All come and go. These are ordinary people who did extraordinary things but never won medals or got their pictures in the paper. They show quietly prods at what it means to be a hero and what it means to be part of the St. Joseph’s Missionary Society. As Saint Therese of Lisieux said “little things done with great love”, is what makes us remember you today. A big part of what makes life bearable is people who come alongside us.

There is time for everything.

Others invested in education and formation of local leadership and many other great things done. The spirit of service, Dedication and commitment animated them to go beyond themselves…Yes! We remember you today as we celebrate one hundred and fifty years. This dedication and commitment pushed them to the point of pouring out their blood in the defense of the gospel and integrity of the people they served. Let their poured out blood bless our soil and their broken bodies fertilize our lands. It will look so ungrateful if we do not acknowledge the great works and serv i c e s t h e y rendered to the nations and most of all t h e i r spared lives for Jesus.

They will remain forever in our memories; though the Society has changed throughout the years, one thing remains: our unsung heroes are the backbone of this our society. We love you!!

Today, the St. Joseph’s Missionary Society celebrates its hundred and fifty years of existence. It is very important to remember those great minds and carriers of the Good News of Christ to different parts of the world. I call them our Heroes, the brave ambassadors of Christ. They witnessed to Christ’s love. These heroes ventured into dangerous territories carrying Christ to different people in different nations. There are so many of our departed Mill Hill Missionaries who have lightened the load and sometimes, even with just the smallest act, have made life brighter and reaffirmed to us that we are not alone in this Christ’s mission. Again St. Therese of Lisieux said “Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing”.

They were not overcome by the hardships of the road, food, people, culture and weather.

Animated by the society’s motto “to love and to serve”, they focused on the word of God and tried to help people re-elevate in offering GYLAIN AGBASOA them chance to re-discover themselves and be

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my flight was cancelled because they asked the information desk and were told that the passengers of that plane were transferred to another plane. But when that plane arrived, they noticed that there was no Albert among those passengers who came out. They asked again the information desk and they said that my flight was cancelled. What an “OMG” Oh My God”.

But it is good that the two of them had the patience of waiting for me there at the airport for more than 5 hours. Also it is good that the information desk officers didn’t tell them that the plane that I rode was missing.

Regardless of all those happenings of my journey coming to Nairobi, I thank God for everything that I arrived in Kenya safe and sound.

For more than a day of expedition and having not enough sleep, now I am here still kicking and breathing. And here I am now still adjusting in all matters of life.

Albert Silos TAKING CARE OF OUR COMMOM HOME The supreme pontiff Francis stressed in his encyclical Laudato si, in our care for the earth which is a common home by doing all our possible best to preserve nature. This is a call for concern to all who live in the world, its not for just the environmentalist and the government officials but for all. Today we face the problem of drastic climatic change and global warming because we have failed to identify with nature, the advent of modernity in most parts of the world has really cause a conscious loss of values which help to maintain the nature for the well being of all. The danger is that most often we see the effect of these things at a large scale

and fail to identify the small things which we can do to stand as a great contribution to this problem of nature which is plaguing the contemporary society.

Just learning how to properly dispose waste, making use of the natural resources like water, solar energy and understanding the need for us to plant a tree of flower around our homes can be of great contribution to our society.

The human being has become so selfish some times in his thoughts when he sees the earth as a place for him especially as his care for the other organism is geared towards only his consumption and comfort. But this of course has so much adverse effect in our being in this very world. Thinking about the massive cutting down of threes without replacement to construct houses and other centers for the use of the human species. Think of the way we treat our wild animals either by consuming them or using some products from them to produce things that will help man without thinking that we are affecting the ecosystem and making some species of organism endangered, think of the number of machines produced for man’s interest and the result they have on the ozone layer,… just to name a few.

We are the co-inhabitants of the world with other organisms, we should make an at-

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very heavy and almost could not carry those of the passengers using some of their things just painful encounters. to make them cool. And the temperature become high inside and I started sweating and I But there were people praying, encouraging didn’t understand why the air-conditioner of and inspiring me not to lose hope and surrenthe plane was not working. The people began der. Thanks to them! They are God’s blessing complaining to the flight attendant demanding and instruments in to know why it was hot inside the plane and t o my vocation. On the they didn’t seem to have answers. day of my flight to Kenya I met other After our takeoff from Bangkok airport, maybe memorable chal- around 2 to 2 ½ hours of our flight, the plane lenges. My flight captain announced that the amount of fuel in from Manila to our plane was insufficient to reach Jomo KenBangkok, Thailand yatta International Airport. It made me feel was delayed for two scared and nervous. I said to myself this is not a hours. That is why good joke, how can a pilot announce a thing arriving there at Bangkok International Airport like that. He should check everything first beI needed to hurry just to catch my next flight. I fore taking off, while we were there at Bangneeded to run from end to end of the airport in kok, this is crazy, I said to myself. order to get onto my flight. Reaching the Then the pilot decided that we will have a deboarding counter, I was asked for my boarding tour or take another route and take emergency pass and I went to the waiting area in hurry. stopover in Mumbai, India. No foods and But the plane that I was to take also delayed; I drinks were served at that time. We stayed just whispered: What a journey! Then I needed inside for more than 4 hours, just sitting or to wait. And I waited for almost 3hours, sometime went to the washroom. That was the WOW! Because the plane was from China and only activity we could do inside while waiting I was on transit. Though I felt bad about what to fly again. But, I just diverted my mind not to happened I thanked God because I could rest think negative about the situation; instead I said for a while just to give consolation to my tired this is an opportunity to see India, where one of body. the Mill Hill Theology Houses is situated. After When the airplane arrived, getting inside I long hours of waiting, everything was okay, airthought that only few passengers were there conditioner, fuel and engine were very okay. because we were only few passengers waiting After all I felt worried because I didn’t know if in the waiting area. But I was wrong; it was there was someone who would meet me at the very crowded, lots of people. Then I tried to fit airport when I arrived because I was delayed for myself in between two big people. Wow, it many hours. looks like I am the ham of the two large size burger sandwiches. As we took off, I noticed Arriving in Kenya, Edson and Gerry, who that the airplane was quite hot. And I saw some were to pick me from the airport, thought that

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LIGHT MOMENT

My father is 6years old A teacher asked a kindergarten kid how old his father is, without any delay the kid shouted “six years” and the teacher took offence and asked again “how is that possible ” then the kid said he only became a father after I was born and I am six years old, the teacher smiled and gave his kid a lollipop for thinking very fast, and the whole class was filled waoooh

COMMUNITY LIVING Throughout my years of formation, whenever topics concerning community life have featured to be discussed, the common words aired-out are flexibility, sensitivity, cooperation, brotherhood to mention but a few. All these words and other related phrases are aimed at making a community where all members living together feel at home.

Every year of my formation journey I have experienced different individuals in communities where I have lived in. There is one common thing I have noticed which cuts across all members of those communities: a desire to be happy. My observations have been that when new members meet to form a community they are excited to be with each other. They want to learn from each other and there is always inevitable pleasing towards each other, trying to show the kindest part of oneself to

the new persons. This is usually honey moon, and it is necessary.

Once members know each other well in both their strengths and weaknesses, each individual strives to have his desired happiness unconsciously fulfilled. Sometimes it does not matter how one seeks for this happiness. It happens that in this endeavor one interferes with another’s happiness and freedom. It is from here that many conflicts arise.

Living together in community in my discernment journey has never been without conflicts especially with my close colleagues. I have come to believe that given that individuals who make communities come from different backgrounds, they have to behave and respond differently to common situations. Conflicts in communities, when reflected upon positively, become sources of strength to the group and moments of learning. It is for this reason that I feel privileged to live in a small community which we call a home within a bigger community. In these homes we receive a counselor to journey with us in our house challenges and joys. This has been and still is an arena where I express my feelings and ex-

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periences on how I live with my home/ housemates. It is a moment I get to understand what my housemates think and feel about me. It is indeed a noble moment. The counseling sessions have been of great help in as far as my stay in Nairobi formation house is concerned.

Diversity is beauty. It is through living together as people from different backgrounds that I have come to know myself and how different I am. Community life is a mirror for I could not know who I am if not in relation to others. All in all sensitivity, flexibility, cooperation, brotherhood and understanding among others, still remain spotlights in promoting a community which should be a home. In spite of challenges which lead to conflicts, there are moments of joy together as a community. In the case of our formation house in Nairobi, Friday social evenings stand tall as an example of those joyful moments in the formation house community. It is through community living that we become the happy ‘we’.

COSMAS ONDARI I BECOME WHAT I SEEK

In my mind I do. I see. I love something. I love someone. I fear to become what I seek. Just like we become what we eat, so too I fret becoming what I seek. I am certain that I will become what I seek because to it I send out my heart. I seek just what I love and when I fall in love with what I seek, I become one with it. I become what I love.

We find identification with the things we love. Once we identify with the

things we love, we put our hearts towards them. For them we crave with a longing so deep. Our families and backgrounds may be responsible for who we are, (my family is responsible for my being Ultan Nche), but we are responsible for what we become (not becoming a sloth) so if one becomes a thief in life, the family is not responsible because the heart was constantly sent towards stealing.

Even situations should not be blamed because to solve a frustrating situation in life is not to aggravate it by becoming something worse.

The Scriptures tell us that we should seek, and we shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you, for all who seek will find and all who knock will have the door opened to them (Mtt. 7:7). Even in all these, we should be careful with the things we seek; with the things we send our hearts to. There is a reason to this.

Loving things is dangerous. It changes us. It changes even the look we give to everything that relates to the thing or person loved. Loving changes our lives. This is neither mere allusion nor fantasy. The more we grow in love with palm wine, the more palm wine we become. So I am even more certain now that the more we love Christ, the more Christ-like we become.

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Ngong diocese was evangelized by Mill Hill missionaries but currently there is not even one Mill Hill missionary left working there as Philip Adede, the society representative, noted in his speech. At the same time the local church is growing, producing and sending out missionaries. Lawrence is the first Mill Hill Missionary from Ngong diocese. We pray and hope that he has opened the door for many.

This surely was a fruit of education and formation after many years of toiling. The joy was evident in the smiling faces of the newly ordained and the many intervals of ululations throughout the celebration. As usual last on the agenda was a sumptuous meal and entertainment at the diocesan pastoral centre.

roots are will determine how stable we will be in life and in mission.

We should remain focused on the goal. In this case the goal of mission which is serving God and serving neighbor and rooted in nothing other than the love of God. We pray for all our ten newly ordained priests that they may be rooted in Christ to overcome the challenges and bear fruits that will bring joy to As a tree’s roots continue growing even as it themselves and those they will minister to. produces fruits, the roots that we have develMARK OWOR

UNEASY JOURNEY

oped during formation too continue to grow in order to nourish mission. Mission is not without challenges. Even in mission we have to remain rooted and as the roots grow we may feel pain in the process. How deep our

To follow the footsteps of Christ is not always like a bed of roses in which you may always feel that you are in the seven stars hotel having your whole life vacations. But it is a bed of thorns in which you may encounter a lot of painful moments along the way. I had this kind of experience through my journey going to the formation house in Nairobi. First, I was stopped by the immigration officers in the Philippines to fly to Kenya. This was between July 31 and August 8, 2015. This not only happened once but twice. Imagine my struggles, trauma and the feeling of hopelessness at that time. I almost surrendered and said it is not my luck to go to Kenya and maybe this is not the way of life Jesus wants for me. I felt

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come all who are present and find out how their day’s activities were. It was so touching that those whom society and very often me too directly or indirectly reject are blessed with what we spend lots and lots of money and time to acquire-Silence. We are misled by the many deceiving voices such that we pass ourselves by. I wonder what I have been doing because the formation program would not always provide time for personal prayer, for silence with God. It is my responsibility to make an appointment to meet with my God just like I would do when I miss a friend.

ORDINATION : A FRUIT OF FORMATION

“The roots of education are bitter but the fruits are sweet” is a phrase that was inscribed on the walls of almost every building and class room in my primary school. However the first part of the saying seemed more true to me since that was where I belonged. This was because of my experience of being punished for reaching school late, making noise in class, failing a sum in mathematics etc. Looking back now I wonder what kept me going. This is analogous to formation. Prof Majawa deFinally, I was inspired by the re- scribes formation as information, formation sponse given to me by one of the workers for and transformation. a question I asked her. I asked her what her feeling is like whenever she is with these peo- The process of formation is not without diffiple because it takes a lot of courage and hu- culties. Sometimes the difficulties may even mility I must say to deal with some of the blind one from focusing on the goal. One of members of the L’arche Community. Some of the immediate goals of formation for Mill Hill them cannot feed themselves. Before they eat, missionaries is Mission. We are prepared to they spread the food all over their body which become missionaries to bring the Good News is very uncomfortable to look at. But it meant of Christ to the poor. Therefore every step nothing to those who were working and living one makes towards this goal is a success. The with them. And so when I asked my question, climax of the formation process is perpetual she replied, “there are moments when I feel oath, diaconate, priesthood and finally mislike giving up, asking myself: ‘what am I do- sion. These moments are always characterized ing here?’ but there are moments when I feel with joyful celebrations. In the past few in a way that I cannot explain but it makes me months we have had 10 ordinations of our want to do more” With this response I imme- brothers who completed their formation prodiately referred to Mtt.25:31-46 (Matt 25:45 gram recently to the priesthood. We as a ‘whatever you did not do for one of the least formation community had the privilege to of these, you did not do for me.') When I attend and participate in the ordination of came back to the formation house, I felt very Lawrence Otieno also known as “Mill Hill happy saying to myself, this was a midterm Man”. This took place in Ngong cathedral in Ngong diocese. Lawrence was ordained well spent. alongside three diocesan priests and one deaNGI MALVIN NKEBENYA con. This was a symbolic event because

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He loved us first. In my mind, I don’t like to verbalize ‘thanks’, especially to Jesus Christ.

The best way to thank Christ for loving us is to send our hearts towards him. To love Him back, even if we don’t know how well to love Him back, we struggle to send our hearts towards Him, and when we identify with Him, we will become one with Him. Loving without reason can become addictive and senseless. Therefore we should regulate the sending of our hearts towards things. Too much of a thing can become a disease. Addictive persons can become a danger to the society because they become uncontrollable, senseless and wasteful, what do you think about being addicted to the person of Christ who prior to today, was not known to us, but today we know Him because He has shown Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

ULTAN NCHE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGETS: SERVICE OR SLAVERY TO HUMANITY? Today improvement in technology has made life easier than ever before. Communication has been made easier and the world has been transformed into a global village. The phones, internet, television among others have helped in connecting people all over the world. One needs only to be in the comfort of his or her room to access something going on several kilometers away. Family members can still communicate with each other even if they are far from each other. There is no doubt therefore that technology has been of great service

in enhancing the lives of humans especially with the use of gadgets.

However this technology which has made life easier has another side that is very prominent today. This lies in the type of gadgets we seek.

Many people today wish to get sophisticated phones, laptops and televisions among other things. The prices of these gadgets are sometimes alarming especially for a middle class citizen talk less of the poor people. The advertizing of these products makes us think we need them when in actual fact we might not.

The features that many of these gadgets contain, which makes them expensive, are hardly ever used by those who get these gadgets. We become excited to sacrifice a lot to get an expensive gadget and soon after getting it we find that the excitement fades away and we want to get another one. Then we seek for another and the process continues. Furthermore, concentration on apps such as face book and whatsApp on smart phones especially has led many people to ignore those around t h e m .

Sometimes people hardly connect with those around them but are always connecting on their phones.

Some people even

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walk on the highway and chat risking their From Dec. 8th 2015 the Roman lives and one wonders is all this necessary? pontiff Pope Francis, declared the year of We can sometimes be enslaved by these gadg- mercy; we all are called to participate in this ets. celebration of mercy, not only to show it to someone but also to show it to ourselves.

We see therefore that technology especially Mercy and compassion heal and give us the the gadgets can be of service as well as be operating ability to move on with life, check enslaving to humans. We have to continually the case of examine our attitude towards these gadgets to Zacchaeus, see whether they enslave us or they serve us. upon all It is in this way that we will have been able to what he had use technology for the proclamation of God’s done as a tax word and for the enhancement of human life. collector FAMBO ATHANASIUS when the mercy of MERCY AND COMPASSION TRIC h r i s t UMPHS OVER JUSTICE AND REASON touched Normally, we have the idea of jushim, he was tice being established for any act which is never the wrong and by so doing we fail to take into same person consideration many of the situations which again and he caused the person to perform the act. When moved on with his life to another level. we go this direction then we are seeking for As loving people of God we reprejustice in the light of reason. Reasoning is sent the visible face of the Father’s love. We good because it comes from God and we need to use justice to organize our society for ought to show mercy and compassion to ourselves and to others no matter what they have peaceful co-existence. done to us. Lent gives us the time to forgive Mercy and compassion are even and show mercy and compassion but it should better and stronger to help us live peacefully. not only end at that it should be part of us.

It is for this reason that Christ expressed how The psalmist says If God should keep a record compassionate and merciful the heavenly Fa- of our sins, who will survive; we need to do ther is to us who go against His commands same like God to continuously show mercy many times. This mercy and compassion give and compassion in and out of the season of another chance for us to repair our relation- lent. ship with the Father and with our fellow huNKONGHO PAUL man beings.

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LIGHT MOMENT

PRISCA DISCOVERED AMERICA During a geography class in a certain primary school, the teacher asked one of his pupils to go to the map and point at the continent America. Prisca went to the map on the board and pointed at America and the teacher asked the rest of the class to give a hand of applauds to Prisca. In the next history lesson the teacher asked the class who discovered America and the whole class shouted “PRISCA” the teacher became furious and when he tried to find out they reminded him when Prisca showed them America on the map….imagine MID TERM BREAK IN NYAHURURU

I visited Nyahururu for my first time during the midterm break. I was invited by a friend who works with the L’arche community in Kenya. You may need to be enlightened on what L’arche is all about; It is an International Organization that takes care of people who are mentally and physically challenged. They get them from either the streets or from their homes (for those who have) and bring them together, forming a community.

In Nyahururu, I was in one of such communities known as Effatha Home. I was greatly touched in my spirit by the experience I had while in this place and there were many striking things but I wish to talk about just three things.

In the first place, I was touched by the catching words on the door post, written

in Kiswahili: Karibuni Effatha (Welcome to Effatha). This was shown in practice by a very warm and formal greeting from the house members. Tears ran down my cheeks when they all tried to welcome me, even those who could not speak showed a sign that they were glad I visited them. I felt just as Henri J. M. Nouwen would say in his book The Return of the Prodigal Son, “I was home after being so far from it.” The smiles on their faces left me thinking. Like the younger son in the story of the prodigal son, I have been busy with other affairs that seemingly appeared to be more important, but that was not true. Yet I am in a formation house which is a community. This brings me to the second striking point.

Their activities like meals together, clean up together and most especially praying together struck me. I discovered that they all had a day to lead community prayer which usually takes place in their beautiful chapel with the Blessed Sacrament. They pray according to how the Spirit leads them as I can say but they know they are not wasting time.

Those who cannot speak simply pray in silence, which is still a very spec i a l form of prayer.

Some bef o r e they pray, wel-

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