SYNOD ON SYNODALITY (2021–2023)
The cover illustration represents the exercise in which the Church is invited to engage in this process of synodality. Gathered by the Lord and guided by the Holy Spirit, through a journey of prayer, the people of God from all continents, representing diverse ages and kinds of lives, come together to listen to each other, including those marginalized, participating and reflecting on how to be transformed into an inclusive community sent to the mission in the world.
MISSION IS FUN
A Merciful Trap on the Road
BY Francesco Rinaldi Ceroni MCCJ
I WENT to celebrate Mass in the chapel of Nyele, Duru (north of Democratic Republic of Congo), where the Garamba National Park begins. After the Mass I took, through woods and savannahs, my way back to the parish; bicycle, portable altar on the luggage rack and the Eucharist for the sick around my neck. Suddenly, it began to rain heavily. I looked for a shelter. I saw a hut nearby, but after riding a few metres through the small path full of grass, I felt the ground disappear under my feet, or rather, under my bike and I fell into a deep hole. I tried to straighten the bike, and by climbing on it, to get out, but the wheels slipped in the mud and the bike fell back. It was almost evening. I stood on the luggage rack of the bike and looked out towards the larger path to see if anyone was passing. Fortunately, I saw the catechist coming home. I shouted: “Prospero, come here, help me!” He approached me and, not believing his eyes, exclaimed: “What are you doing down there?” He cut a branch from a bush and held it to pull me out together with the bike and the little altar. Once out, I went to the hut to clean and warm myself by the fire.
Shortly afterwards the owner of the hut and of the hole, Matthias, appeared. He hastened to apologise: “I’m sorry, Father, but you should know that I didn’t put any spears in it!” Ironically, I replied: “We needed those too!” The next day, the village chief put Matthias in prison for digging a trap in the road. I took pity on him and wrote to the chief: “It is true that Matthias has broken the law but, thank God, he has not caused me any harm. Besides, he has five small children to support, so please, release him”. The chief accepted my request. Full of joy and gratitude, Matthias came to the mission with a dozen eggs. From his words of apology, I realised that I had been lucky twice: not only had he not placed spears in the hole, but if he had placed them, he would have poisoned the tips first, to kill the prey quicker!
| Dates To Remember |
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June 1 – Global Day of Parents 4 – International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression 5 – Pentecost Sunday 5 – World Environment Day 8 – World Oceans Day 12 – World Day Against Child Labour 13 – International Albinism Awareness Day 15 – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 16 – National Youth Day in South Africa 17 – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 19 – International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 20 – World Refugee Day 23 – International Widows’ Day 26 – International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 27 – Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day July 3 – International Day of Cooperatives 11 – World Population Day 15 – World Youth Skills Day 18 – Nelson Mandela International Day 24 – World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly 30 – International Day of Friendship 30 – World Day against Trafficking in Persons |
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