Reflection for Tuesday, 29 November 2022 1st Reading: Is 11:1-10; Gospel: LK 10:21-24)

 

We began a new Liturgical Year and Season, that is (Advent), which is a time of celebrating the virtues of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace, it’s a time of watchfulness, it’s a time of mutual and self-reconciliation, it’s a time for inner preparation for the Nativity our Lord Jesus Christ, it’s a time as well to welcome in our hearts the one who comes to reveal us the Father as we heard from the Holy Gospel.

“No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him”, (cf. Lk 10:22).

Beloved brothers, there is a very practical method of Cognitive Psychology or Behaviorism which says that if you want to know what the parents of a child do without asking her, observe what she does when she is playing with other children. Because children have that tendency of imitating what their parents do and they aspire to be like their parents. For example: a child of a farmer, she may play with others in a way of cultivating something; a child of a pastor, she may play with others in a way of preaching to other or collecting “Sadaka” from other children, as well; a child of a drunker, she may play with other in imitating the drunkenness of one of her parents, and so all.

Likewise, Jesus in today’s Gospel through his Thanksgivings’ Prayer to the Father for the Revelation, presents the vertical relationship between Him and the Father, he shows that He, himself is the Revelation, Mediator and Revealer of the Father and that, He is in full and total communion with the Father. And all that we know about the Father, we know it through his Revelation. However, this thanksgiving Prayer, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…” is an expression of joy, that Jesus manifests to the Father by the good performance of Missionary work of the Disciples, and that is why in (Lk 10:24) Jesus tells them: “blessed are the eyes that see what you see, because many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it”.

Today we are also reminded by this Gospel how blessed we’re for everything that we have by God’s grace in our life; we are blessed for having an opportunity to encounter the Lord in our daily life especially in the Mass and Adoration, there may be having people who do not have that chance of meeting the Lord.

On the other hand, in the First Reading, Prophet Isaiah foretells the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, who will be anointed by the wisdom and understanding of the Spirit of the Lord. The one who will judge with justice, and not by hearsay. Additionally, dear friends, the prophet announces the unity and peace that Christ will bring on earth, and that the creation will in total fraternal communion among themselves and with God, because the one who is coming will come with flames full of Unity, Love and Peace.    

In accordance with today’s Readings, we are reminded as well, dear friends, to have full and total communion with God through Jesus Christ, and we are called to reconciliation, to the true fraternal love which is the foundation of our community life towards Christ; and we pray that, God may continue to help us to recognize his Revelation in our midst and that through Jesus, we may also be light and revelation to others.

Antonio Lohoca

II Year Theology    

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Reflections for Monday, 28 November 2022; 1st Reading: Isa 4:2-6; Gospel: Mt 8:5-11

 

We are at the beginning of the liturgical year, and we have begun the season of advent where we are preparing ourselves for the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we start this season, today the first reading from prophet Isaiah is full of hope and saint Luke the evangelist presents to us a centurion whose character have to be pondered. See the words of the Centurion “I am not worthy ….”  We utter these words every time we participate in the Eucharist. The question remains between you and me; do we really mean it? If yes thanks be to God.

Friends, let us remind ourselves who is a centurion. The centurion is not an ordinary soldier, but he is an officer of the imperial army. He is a man with power and status at the same time he was very concerned of his servant that he went to Jesus with faith and asked for his servant healing. Considering his stature, the centurion could have simply sent some of his subordinates to Jesus. But he went personally to Jesus. Imagine a man of this status begging a favour from Jesus and declares himself unworthy even to welcome Jesus in his house. What kind of faith did this man had on Jesus that even Jesus was amazed. Probably, what touched Jesus was not only this faith of the man but also his love for his servant. This is the mission which Jesus wants us to continue with, that is, to cut through all the barriers of rank and race through love and faith.

 What can be said here is that the centurion had a profound awareness of his unworthiness. My dear brothers at times we pray as if we merit God’s favour but before reaching this stage, like the centurion, we need to recognize our unworthiness, approaching Jesus with faith and humility without forgetting that love to one another is a command (Jn 13:34). As we continue to prepare for Christ’s coming during the Advent season, let us make these words of the centurion our own. Let this man become our inspiration and our modal of prayer because the world is experiencing difficulties in matters of faith and love to each other.

 Zephrine Superius

III Year Theology

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St. Claret Volleyball Tournament with a touch of Laudato Si

The St. Claret Volleyball Tournament kicked off officially on 5th November 2022 in the campus of Martyrs of Barbastro Formation House, Tungi, Morogoro. The theme of the tournament is: "Cooperation for the good of the ecosystem" To highlight the theme, a seedling was planted by the chief Guest. There are seven teams participating in the tournament. Below given are the glimpses of the opening ceremony of the tournament.

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Reflection for Tuesday, 15th November 2022; 1st Reading: Rev 3:1-6,14-22; Gospel: Lk 19:1-10

The spiritual reality which touches the truth of our Christians faith is that, daily in our lives, we are engaging ourselves in a search. We are people who are searching. We are people who are looking for the one who has already found us (cf. Jer 1:5). He is not far from us because in the history of our salvation, God always takes an initiative in seeking men and women towards the fulfilment of their faith that they may experience the joy of that wedding, for, God “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). What gives meaning to our lives is remaining united with Christ. In the first reading of today, the churches of Sardis and Laodicea who declared themselves to be materially well-off are criticized, for they did not realize that at a deeper spiritual level they are wretched and pitifully poor. This is the same scenario with Zacchaeus, in the gospel of today. He was a chief tax collector, wealthy and had good fortune, yet he was aware of his poverty. That is why he went above the crowd, above the mob to see who Jesus was. In his quest for Jesus, Zacchaeus found more than he could possibly have hoped for, which is salvation. The figure of Zacchaeus reminds us that there is a deep restlessness of spirit within us which can only be satiated by the Lord. The episode of Zacchaeus assures us that if we persevere in seeking the Lord, in spite of the obstacles that may come our way, through the grace of God, we will discover more than what we are seeking. Jesus is always seeking us with deep passion than we are seeking him. He offers himself to us more than we can imagine or conceive, especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

          The original plan of God was that all of us should be holy and blameless before his sight, “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4). However, our human nature was corrupted, and this has made us unholy. We are not meant to be where we are right now; we were made to be clean. God wants us to go back to the original innocence. Each new day is an opportunity to amend our lives, and turn back to him, who is our love and fortress. We are summoned to climb the tree of our vices. We cannot change if we decide to remain where we are. Like Zacchaeus, we need to transcend ourselves and take a small step towards the Lord and give him an abode in our hearts. There is nothing that cannot change when we allow Christ to come into our lives. The presence of Jesus corrects us and makes our lives more meaningful. Like Zacchaeus, Jesus approaches us with eyes of mercy and love, and this love changes everything. When God does that, he does not choose whom to show his love. He just needs our effort, cooperation, disposition and availability for us to achieve much in our lives.

Kudzai Tonganai

IV Year Theology

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Reflection for Monday,14th November 2022, 1st Reading: Rev 1:1-4;2:1-5; Gospel: Lk 18:35-43

 

Today we are presented with the character of a blind man who deep within his life needed the divine attention from Jesus.

This man was rebuked but he never gave up he kept on shouting at the top of his voice so that Jesus could hear him.

 Similarly, the world today is filled with a lot of blindness. This blindness could be physical or spiritual. It can be in form of faith which affects our relationship with God, it could be a friend in the society or in our community, it could be from our families back at home. Each of us is blind in his own way. In other words, I mean things which make our spiritual and physical life very difficult for us.

All these types of blindness can hinder us from doing our responsibilities, whenever we try to come out, we are rebuked by the society or by our blindness which we can call weaknesses. Today our take home messages from today’s reading are:

Persistence in prayer. However much we face difficulties and oppositions from the society or from we ourselves we should never give up on prayer. In all our difficulties and opposition, we should see Jesus instead of problem this will keep us going.

In conclusion, we should learn how to pray. Like the blind beggar he was straight forward, he knew what he wanted from Jesus. For instance, he would ask for more money from Jesus, but he didn’t, instead he asked for sight so that he can be able to see well.  We pray that the lord Jesus the revealer of God may open our spiritual eyes to see clearly and grow more in our Christian life. Amen.

James Kanakulya

IV Year Theology

 

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GLIMPSE OF PASTORAL ENGAGEMENTS

The Claretian Missionaries have been associated with the KPF, Mageresa, Morogoro since long time. We regularly offer Sunday Mass at the KPF Centre and engage the people in evangelization. The below given pictures provide a glimpse of our activities.

Br. Edgar Cabral Vila Nova teaching kids a song

Br. Akwiri Harrison engaging the youth in a discussion

Rev. Fr. Maxwell Chacha CMF , the priest in charge, conducting a Seminar for the people

 at KPF, Mageresa.

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Reflection for Friday 11, November 2022, 1st Reading: 2Jn 1:4-9; Gospel: Lk 17:26-37.

 The gospel tells us that we do not know when will God come to us or simply, we do not know when is the end of time or when are we going to die. We should always live our life to the fullest. The material possessions will not go with us when we die, but happiness will be always with us up to heaven. Happiness and contentment are the most significant things to keep in life. Having faith in God is a must because He is our savior and creator. He is the only one who knows the best for us.

These verses depict the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. A great event in which things are seen immediately happening. There is a fearful image given by the Lord. We are told that as it was in the "days of Noah and Lot", so shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." In those days, men were entirely taken up with worldly things, enjoying themselves. The flood came at last in Noah's day and drowned all except those who were in the ark. The fire fell from heaven at last in Lot's days and destroyed all except Lot and his family.

In the day of Christ’s coming, wickedness and worldliness will prevail in the world. There will be many unbelievers and unconverted but few believers and the godly. We must escape for our lives like Lot and flee to the ark like Noah. This alone is our safety.

Let us serve Christ for His own sake and we should never rest until we have the true grace of God in our hearts, with no desire to look back to the world. The day of Christ's second coming, the good and the evil, converted and unconverted, shall be divided into two distinct bodies. The visible Church shall no longer be a mixed body. The wheat and the tares shall no longer grow side by side. The good fish and the bad shall be separated. The angels shall come forth, and gather together the godly, that they may be rewarded; and leave the wicked behind to be punished. The Lord calls us for Vigilance as he says, "Remember Lot's wife".

Like Abraham pleading for the lives of the righteous people living in Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:16-33; St. Martin, a man of peace, a soldier and Bishop, pleaded for those who were to face death penalty. He did it out love as it said in the first reading. St. Martin remained firm in the Lord and obtained his great reward. Friends, where do we belong? Are we from the time of Noah or the time of Lot? It is the better moment to introspect ourselves and find out. J. Nedumaan said, “No Virus will warn you and no antivirus will damage you”. Brothers, remember that Prevention is better than Cure.

Desire Bushiri

IV Year Theology

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Who is a Claretian?

“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with God’s love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set everyone on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him: he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander, rejoices in all the torments and sorrows he suffers, and glories in the cross of Jesus Christ. His only concern is how he may follow Christ and imitate him in praying, working, enduring and striving constantly and solely for the greater glory of God and the salvation of humankind.” - (Constitutions No. 9).

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Mission

We, the members of Martyrs of Barbastro Seminary, being forged in the heart of Mary, as the Servants of the Word, desire and strive constantly for conformity with Christ, in pursuit of divine wisdom and fraternal communion with everyone through a life of daily martyrdom, in the style of St. Claret.

 

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Vision

 To form young men to burn with the fire of love so that we might send down holy, self-sacrificial missionaries for the people of God, to light a fire on the earth for the salvation of souls.

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Reflection for Monday 7th November 2022, 1st Reading: Tit 1:1-9, Gospel: Lk 17:1-6

In one day, a person can pray our father in a number of times. In our situation, as religious, it is normally more than three times, considering the morning prayer, evening prayer and in the eucharistic celebration. Do we live what we pray? In the fifth petition of Our Father we pray that our sins be forgiven as we forgive those who trespass against us. The outpouring of God’s mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us (cf. I John 4:20). It is “in the depths of the heart,” that everything is bound and loosed, where forgiveness is actualized (CCC 2843).

Forgiveness is a high point of Christian prayer (CCC 2844). From the Gospel passage of today Jesus teaches us that there is no limit or measure to this essentially divine forgiveness. To forgive seven times (Lk 17:4) is a symbolic way of saying every time. Such is an attitude that an offended or scandalized follower of Jesus needs to have. To correct a brother who is a stumbling block for others is an act of love. Whenever there is a false tolerance, the disciples can keep moving but, in a way ward path. Today, Jesus encourages his followers to correct and forgive one another whenever one is offended. This teaching on forgiveness remains one of the cornerstones of our Christian faith.

As Paul writes to Titus, he enumerates a number of qualities required of a presbyter. (Author of Pastorals equates presbyters and Episcopoi =Overseers) (cf. Wild, R. A.: The Pastoral Letters). There are qualities such as moderate, just, devoted and self-controlled (Titus 1:8). As religious we are the “leaders by example” in matters to do with our faith. We expect these qualities from whoever that takes leading roles in our faith such as priests and religious, but at times we find the opposite.  In this way, we become the stumbling blocks to the people of God. In such a situation the Gospel has given us the way forward, we need to avoid false tolerance “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him” we have to correct and forgive one another. Even more, whenever we realize that we have been a stumbling block for others we need the humility to ask for forgiveness with hope that we will be forgiven as we do forgive others.

O Lord, open our hearts so that we may forgive one another. Give us the necessary graces to overcome stumbling blocks that we face in our Christian faith. May we be quick to regret our offenses whenever we have become a stumbling block.

Aristede S. Amani.

IV Year Theology Student

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WHO ARE THE CLARETIAN MARTYRS OF BARBASTRO?

 They are 51 Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians) killed in hatred of the faith in August 1936 during the Spanish Civil war. They all belonged to the Community of Barbastro. It was a large community, composed of 60 persons, dedicated to the formation of the missionaries; it was a Seminary of the Congregation. Nine were priests who had charges of responsibility in the house and in the Seminary. Two had received priestly ordination a little more than two months earlier. Of the 12 Brothers of the community, only 5 received the palm of martyrdom, because they did not kill the elderly nor those that were very sick. The rest of the community (39) were seminarians who were in the last years of theology. One was a subdeacon and 11 had received minor Orders. Two Argentinians were saved from death: they were freed at the last minute because they were foreigners. It is good to highlight the youth of the great majority of these martyrs, since it was a Seminary Community. Only 9 of these martyrs were over 25 years old; 36 of them had not reached that age, and three were only 21 years old.

 

There were 25 from Cataluña, 9 from Navarro, 6 from Castilla-Léon, 5 from Aragon, and 3 from Valencia. There was one each from Cartegena, Asturias and La Rioja. Those martyrs were from 16 Spanish dioceses: Asturias (1), Barbastro (1), Burgos (before they were from Osma-Soria or Segovia) (6), Cartagena-Murcia (1), Gerona (8), Huesca (1), Lérida (4), La Calzada-Logroño (1), Pamplona-Tudela (9), Sao de Urgel (3), Solsona (2), Tarazona (1), Tarragona (3), Valencia (3), Vio (6) and Zaragoza (1). Their families were of humble social condition; the majority of them were farmers.

 

St. Pope John Paul II beatified the Claretian Martyrs of Barbastro in 1992; their feast day is celebrated on August 13. In his beatification homily, the Pope said, “Had these young men of Barbastro not received adequate religious formation and been trained in solid piety, they would not have merited the grace of martyrdom. Faithful to Christ, they triumphed with Him.”

 

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Reflection for Friday, 4 Nov 2022: 1st Reading: Phil. 3:17-4:1, Gospel: Lk. 16:1-9

 

In the ancient animal kingdom, a sheep was passing and saw a lion crying inside a trap cage. He begged the sheep to save him with a promise not to eat him. After a persuasive argument the sheep opened the trap, however, the lion did not keep to its promise, it quickly grabbed the sheep to eat it. The sheep shouted out repeatedly of the promise that was made. A group of animals was moved by the noise but they took side with the lion because of fear. Among them was the tortoise who had listened carefully to the narrations. He asked the lion to demonstrate what had happened. Having entered the cage trap, the tortoise locked the trap. He explained that if the lion ate the sheep, any of the other animals would likely be the next meal. All the animals around were amazed at the wisdom and prudent action of the tortoise.

 The Gospel brings to us another kind of a prudent judgment. Our key focus is not the dishonesty but the prudence of the steward (Lk 16:1-9). I wish to bring to your attention the Jewish tradition concerning lending.

 Jewish culture prohibited the act of lending money at interest; however, the Jews went around this by lending out commodities such as oil and wheat and charging interest on them. Normally, payment was made to the manager, who then paid the owner what he was due but pocketed most of the interest. From this perspective, what happens in this parable, is that the manager is accused of mismanaging his employer’s property and finding himself dismissed, smartly calls in the debtors one by one and cancels his own share of the interest on the loans, allowing the debtors to return exactly what they borrowed and no more. The wise action praised in the parable is that the manager bought friends who would help him once he was unemployed. The parable serves as a prudent example of using one’s talents to secure one’s future. We Christian are called to do the same. We are to use our whatever we have to help our brothers and sister and will receive favor in return (16:9).

 When we do that, we become imitators of Christ and in so doing, we are setting a perfect example for others (‘they Imitate us because we imitate Christ’1 Cor 11:1).  As people of God, and like Paul in the 1^st reading (phil. 3:16- 4:1) our model for conduct is not a written code but a life, primarily the life of our Lord. Paul had such a commitment to the Lord that he was able to say ‘follow my example.’ Let each one of us make an introspection and make a simple evaluation of our lives in general. As followers of Christ, have we set a perfect example for others to follow? Can our way of life lead people to or away from God? If we live contrary to our state of life, we set contrary examples for others, and thus, we become enemies of the cross of Christ (3:18-19). As Christians, we have a heavenly citizenship (3:20). But we can lose it when we do not act prudently. More than enjoying the worldly pleasures, Paul reminds us that we have a far more prestigious citizenship in heaven. While those whose mind is set only on earthly things (3:19) await destruction, Christians await the second coming of the Lord. By his almighty power he will transform our bodies, which is weak and make it like his glorious resurrected body (3:21). This is our great joy and our hope as Christians. Our future is in secure hands if only we act prudently. Let us that we may always act with Prudence.  

 

Vicent Abigaba

IV Year Theology Student

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