 |
| Il Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga |
A celebration with an exceptional visit
We are very close to Christmas, and the days are "effervescent" for
us.
On Friday I returned from Bangui, and on Saturday I spent the whole day in Barka
Bongo, a village 40km from Baoro. Here the Christians of the 4 nearby villages
(Bawi, Zoungbe, Barka and Balembe) got together for a day of reflection, prayer
and sharing. They call it "be nzoni" (good heart): it is when the
villages get together to help one another, even with material goods. In the
morning I had a catechesis on the sacrament of Confession, and then there was
Mass. After lunch (where everyone contributed), we started with the
"dodo ti dimes": the dance of offerings. The Christians from each village danced and
brought their offerings, which we will then deliver to the host village. While
the "winner" (the village that donated the most) will have the
opportunity to organize the same feast in a year or two.
On Sunday, I celebrated Mass in Samba Bougoulou, 35 km away on the
road(ccia) to Carnot.
On Wednesday, December 21st we welcomed an extraordinary guest: the bishop of
Bangui, Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga.
He is a man of extraordinary faith
and courage (he has just published a beautiful book in Italian: "My
struggle for peace. With bare hands against the war in Central Africa",
what a great inspiration!).
While here he wanted to visit the most critical areas of our diocese. Areas
where, apart from the missionaries and a few others, no one ventures: there are
rebel militias who attack and keep the people under constant threat. During his
first week he visited Niem,. Bocaranga, Ngaundaye, Mann, stopping in smaller
villages. In one school, the children wrote on their boards: "au
secours" (help!).
At the end of the visit he stopped here in Baoro, and we held a nice meeting
with the young people, in the state high school of Baoro, and another moment
with the parish community, at the catechists' school in Baoro.
I am done, wishing you all a Merry Christmas!
Best wishes with
Mathieu!
Who is Mathieu?
A couple of weeks ago we completed the work on the chapel of Kouisso Baguera, 7
km from Baoro.
After a solemn Mass, celebrated by the Bishop; with songs, dances and
everything there is available for a liturgy in Africa.
Finally, I asked the bishop to give a small gift (a statue of the Child
Jesus) to Mathieu.
Mathieu is deaf and mute. He hears
nothing, does not speak except for a few verses. But during the work of
the chapel he was always there, every day, to lend a hand, with so much joy.
He, who is among the last in the village, is the most available and most
serene. The Bishop called him up and he came to receive his gift. He
received it with such dignity, and with eyes that shone with joy and emotion.
This year, I wish you all the best, along with Mathieu!
Christmas is no joke! Christmas is God who takes man, every man, so seriously
that he himself becomes man.
Christmas, that child, is serious! It changed the world. Believe it or not!
With Christmas, there is God who becomes man, Emmanuel: God with us.
Christmas is a revolution: "Every man is the starting point, each time
decisive and each time irreplaceable, of divine activity" (R.Guardini).
Merry Christmas with Mathieu!
P.Aurelio
 |
| i giovani all'ascolto del Cardinale les jeunes à l'écoute |
 |
| Barka Bongo |
 |
| Ecole des catéchistes, Baoro |
 |
| Samba Bougoulou |
No comments:
Post a Comment