Nalukolongo is a place which, as Francis recalled in his brief address to the
guests in the institution and the thirty women religious who take care of them,
"has always been associated with the Church's outreach to the poor, the
handicapped, the sick. I think particularly of the great and fruitful work
carried out with those people affected by AIDS. Here, in early times, slave
children were ransomed and women received religious instruction. I greet the
Good Samaritan Sisters who carry on this fine tradition, and I thank them for
their years of quiet and joyful service in this apostolate. And here, Jesus is
present here, because he said that he would always be present among the poor,
the sick, convicts, the destitute, those who suffer. Jesus is here".
"I also greet the representatives of the many other apostolic groups who serve
the needs of our brothers and sisters in Uganda. Above all, I greet the
residents of this home and others like it, and all who benefit from these works
of Christian charity. For this is a home. Here you can find love and care; here
you can feel the presence of Jesus, our brother, who loves each of us with
God's
own love".
"Today, from this Home, I appeal to all parishes and communities in Uganda -
and the rest of Africa - not to forget the poor, not to forget the poor! The
Gospel commands us to go out to the peripheries of society, and to find Christ
in the suffering and those in need. The Lord tells us, in no uncertain terms,
that is what he will judge us on! How sad it is when our societies allow the
elderly to be rejected or neglected! How wrong it is when the young are
exploited by the modern-day slavery of human trafficking! If we look closely at
the world around us, it seems that, in many places, selfishness and
indifference
are spreading. How many of our brothers and sisters are victims of today's
throwaway culture, which breeds contempt above all towards the unborn, the
young
and the elderly!".
"As Christians, we cannot simply stand by, stand by watching what is
happening,
without doing anything. Something must change! Our families need to become ever
more evident signs of God's patient and merciful love, not only for our
children
and elders, but for all those in need. Our parishes must not close their doors,
or their ears, to the cry of the poor. This is the royal road of Christian
discipleship. In this way we bear witness to the Lord who came not to be
served,
but to serve. In this way we show that people count more than things, that who
we are is more important than what we possess. For in those whom we serve,
Christ daily reveals himself and prepares the welcome which we hope one day to
receive in his eternal kingdom".
"Dear friends, by simple gestures, by simple prayerful actions which honour
Christ in the least of his brothers and sisters, we can bring the power of his
love into our world, and truly change it. I thank you once more for your
generosity and love. I will remember you always in my prayers and I ask you,
please, to pray for me. I commend all of you to the loving protection of Mary,
our Mother, and I give you my blessing. Omukama abakuume (God protect you!)".
___________________________________________________________
The Pope meets the clergy of Uganda: maintain memory and continue to be
witness
Vatican City, 29 November 2015 (VIS) The Pope's day ended with an encounter
with the priests, men and women religious, and seminarians in the cathedral of
Kampala, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Beforehand the Holy Father met
with the bishops of Uganda, around thirty in number, including bishops
emeritus,
in the archbishop's residence near the cathedral.
Upon arrival he was greeted by the bishop responsible for consecrated life,
John Baptist Kaggwa, to whom he handed the discourse he had prepared for the
occasion, and addressed some extemporaneous remarks in Spanish to those
present,
apologising for nt doing so in English.
"There are three things I want to say", Francis began. "First, in the Book of
Deuteronomy, Moses reminds his people: 'Do not forget'. He repeats it several
times throughout the book: 'Do not forget'. Do not forget all that God has done
for the people. The first thing I want to say is: ask for the grace of memory.
As I said to the young, the blood of the Catholics of Uganda is mixed the blood
of martyrs. Do not lose the memory of this seed, so in this way you will
continue to grow. The main enemy of memory is forgetfulness, but it is not the
most dangerous. The most dangerous enemy of memory is getting used to
inheriting
the goods of our fathers. The Church in Uganda should never grow accustomed to
viewing her martyrs as a distant memory. Martyr means witness. The Church in
Uganda, to be faithful to this memory, must continue to be a witness. You
should
not 'live off the interest'. Past glories have been the beginning, but you must
build future glories too. And this is the task that the Church entrusts to you:
to bear witness, like the martyrs who gave their lives for the Gospel".
"In order to be witnesses, we need faithfulness. Fidelity to memory, fidelity
to our vocation, fidelity to apostolic zeal. Faithfulness means following the
way of holiness. It means doing what previous witnesses did: being
missionaries.
Perhaps here in Uganda there are dioceses that have many priests and dioceses
that have few. Faithfulness means suggesting to the bishop that you go to
another diocese in need of missionaries. And this is not easy. Faithfulness
means perseverance in your vocation. Here I wish to thank the Sisters of the
House of Mercy in a special way for the example of faithfulness they give:
fidelity to the poor, the sick and the needy, because Christ is there. Uganda
has been irrigated by the blood of martyrs and witnesses. Today it is necessary
to continue to irrigate it, and to welcome new challenges, new witnesses and
new
missions. Otherwise, you will lose the great wealth you have, and the 'pearl of
Africa' will end up preserved in a museum, because this is how the devil
attacks
, little by little. I am speaking not only to priests, but also to the
religious. But I wish to say this in a special way to priests, with regard to
the problem of mission: may priests in dioceses where the clergy is
well-represented offer themselves to diocese with fewer clergy, so Uganda can
continue to be missionary".
"Memory, which means fidelity; and fidelity, which is only possible with the
prayer. If a religious, a nun or a priest stops praying or prays rarely,
because
he or she has a lot of work, then he or she has already started to lose memory,
which means losing faithfulness. Prayer also means humiliation: the humiliation
of going regularly to the confessor, to tell him your sins. You can not limp
with both legs. We men and women religious, priests can not lead a double life.
If you are a sinner, if you are a sinner, ask forgiveness. But not to hide a
lack of fidelity. Do not close memory away in the cupboard".
"Memory, new challenges, faithfulness to memory, and prayer. Prayer always
begins with recognition that we are sinners. With these three pillars the
"pearl
of Africa" will continue to be a pearl, and not just a phrase we find in the
dictionary. May the martyrs, who gave strength to this Church, help you to move
forward in memory, fidelity and prayer. And please, I ask you not to forget to
pray for me".
Finally, Pope Francis invited those present to pray the Hail Mary together.
The following is the discourse prepared by the Holy Father for his encounter
with the clergy.
"Dear Brother Priests, Religious and Seminarians,
I am happy to be with you, and I thank you for your cordial welcome. I
especially thank the speakers for bearing witness to your hopes and concerns,
and, above all, the joy which inspires you in your service to God's people in
Uganda.
I am pleased, too, that our meeting takes place on the eve of the First Sunday
of Advent, a season which invites us to look to new beginnings. This Advent we
are also preparing to cross the threshold of the extraordinary Jubilee Year of
Mercy which I have called for the whole Church.
As we approach the Jubilee of Mercy, I would ask you two questions. First: who
are you, as priests or future priests, and as consecrated persons? In one
sense,
the answer is an easy one: surely you are men and women whose lives have been
shaped by a 'personal encounter with Jesus Christ'. Jesus has touched your
hearts, called you by name, and asked you to follow him with an undivided heart
in the service of his holy people.
The Church in Uganda has been blessed, in its short yet venerable history,
with
a great cloud of witnesses - lay faithful, catechists, priests and religious -
who forsook everything for the love of Jesus: homes, families, and, in the case
of the martyrs, their own lives. In your own lives, whether in the priestly
ministry or in your religious consecration, you are called to carry on this
great legacy, above all with quiet acts of humble service. Jesus wants to use
you to touch the hearts of yet other people: he wants to use your mouths to
proclaim his saving word, your arms to embrace the poor whom he loves, your
hands to build up communities of authentic missionary disciples. May we never
forget that our 'yes' to Jesus is a 'yes' to his people. Our doors, the doors
of
our churches, but above all the doors of our hearts, must constantly be open to
God's people, our people. For that is who we are.
A second question I would ask you tonight is: What more are you called to do
in
living your specific vocation? Because there is always more that we can do,
another mile to be walked on our journey.
God's people, indeed all people, yearn for new life, forgiveness and peace.
Sadly, there are many troubling situations in our world for which we must pray,
beginning with realities closest to us. I pray especially for the beloved
people
of Burundi, that the Lord may awaken in their leaders and in society as a whole
a commitment to dialogue and cooperation, reconciliation and peace. If we are
to
accompany those who suffer, then like the light passing through the stained
glass windows of this Cathedral, we must let God's power and healing pass
through us. We must first let the waves of his mercy flow over us, purify us,
and refresh us, so that we can bring that mercy to others, especially those on
the peripheries.
All of us know well how difficult this can be. There is so much work to be
done. At the same time, modern life also offers so many distractions which can
dull our consciences, dissipate our zeal, and even lure us into that 'spiritual
worldliness' which eats away at the foundations of the Christian life. The work
of conversion - that conversion which is the heart of the Gospel of Jesus -
must
be carried out each day, in the battle to recognise and overcome those habits
--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
|
