WHAT CANNOT WE HIDE?

A refection from Lc 8, 16-18

The disciples of Jesus are light in the world. The light was made to shine and it fulfils its finality when it makes possible clarity and life for all. It was like this in the beginning: When God said “Let there be light” and the life arose.  The one who let himself to be guided by the light has good vision in order to reach his objectives. The testimony of the Disciples of Christ enlightens the way of the people who search for the true reason and horizon for their lives.

As disciples of Jesus, we have assumed the mission to be light. We are enlightened by his Word everyday in order to enlighten through the brightness of this light. According to Jesus, this enlightened experience cannot be hidden. Hiding the light it can mean humility, but it can be also infidelity or lack of authenticity. In this case the light doesn’t fulfil its finality. When our actions are made in God we don’t have reason to hide them. If we need to hide some actions it is because lack the true light, the light of the truth. One day we shall lose our masks and it will be revealed the people who we are really.

The Word of God is lamp for our steps and light on our path”. His revelation happens abundantly but the assimilation is not in the same measure. If there is some limit, it doesn’t come from God, but from our limited capacity of reception of his mysteries. Here it is important the opening: the more opened we are the easier to understand what God expect from us. For that it is necessary to review how we have listened to the Word of God.  If we listen to it with the availability of the time and generosity of our heart, we shall get abundance of fruits for our life.

So, Jesus invites us to welcome his Words as light and to shine from this light. The inspiration which we receive from his Word cannot be hidden, otherwise, become useless for us and for others.

Fr. Ndega

NINI HATUWEZE KUFICHA?

Kutafakari kutoka Luka 8,16-18

Wafuasi wa Yesu ni nuru duniani. Nuru ilifanywa kuangaza na inatimiza mwisho wake unapotoa uwazi na maisha kwa wote. Ilikuwa hivi mwanzoni: wakati Mungu alisema “Na iwe nuru” na uhai ukatokea. Yeye ambaye anajiruhusu Kuongozwa na mwanga ana uwezo mzuri wa kuona ili kufikia malengo yake. Ushuhuda wa wafuasi wa Kristu unaelimisha maana ya watu ambao wanatafuta sababu ya kweli na upeo kwa maisha yao.

Kama wafuasi wa Yesu, tumechukua jukumu kuwa mwanga. Tunaelimishwa kwa Neno lake kila siku ili kuelimika kupitia mwanga wa nuru hii. Kulingana na Yesu mazoea haya ya kuelimishwa hayaweze yakafichwa. Kuficha mwanga inaueza maanisha unyenyekevu, lakini inaueza kuwa udanganivu pia au kukosa la uhalisi. Katika jinsi hii mwanga hautimize muisho wake. Wakati matendo yetu yanafanika kwa Mungu hatuna sababu kuyaficha. Kama tunahitaji kuficha baadhi ya matendo ni kwa sababu ya kukosa nuru ya kweli, nuru ya ukweli. Siku moja tutapoteza vifuniko vya macho na itadhihirishwa watu ambao sisi ni kweli.  

Neno la Mungu ni taa kwa hatua zetu na mwanga katika njia yetu ". Ufunuo wake unatokea kwa wingi lakini mapokezi yetu si katika kipimo sawa. Kama kuna baadhi ya kikomo, haikuji kutoka kwa Mungu, lakini inatokana na uwezo wetu mdogo wa mapokezi ya siri yake. Hapa ni muhimu ufunguzi: zaidi ya kufunguliwa kwetu ni rahisi kuelewa nini Mungu anatarajia kutoka kwetu. Kwa maana hiyo ni lazima kuangalia jinsi tumesikiliza Neno la Mungu. Kama tunalisikiliza na upatikanaji wa wakati na ukarimu wa moyo wetu, tutapata matokeo mazuri kwa maisha yetu. 

Hivyo, Yesu anatualika kuyakaribisha maneno yake kama mwanga na kuangazia kutoka kwa mwanga huu. Msukumo ambao tunapata kutoka kwa Neno lake haliwezi kufichwa. Vinginevyo, hilo huwa bila maana kwa ajili yetu na kwa wengine.    

Fr. Ndega

Mapitio: Rose Mong’are na Mwalimu Patrick

GOD KNOWS WHAT HE DOES

A reflection from Matthew 1, 18-23

Jesus is the good news of God, announced by the prophets during long time. His birth took place in the human reality, evidencing the commitment of God with this reality. In verses, before the today’s text, Matthew presents the list of the ancestors of Jesus, confirming the connection of Jesus with the human reality as member of the family of David. Although this text speaks about the human condition of Jesus, evidences also his divine origin. He is the Immanuel, which means, “God is with us”.  In his name is his mission: Jesus-God is saviour. So, he came to reveal the plan of salvation of God for all mankind.

The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God follows a dynamic which is opposite to the human expectations: simple place (Nazareth), simple people (Mary and Joseph), no imposition, but invitation. The text makes reference to Mary and Joseph as important collaborators with God in the realization of his salvation’s plan. Mary, with her generous yes, offers to God her total availability and became his faithful servant. Jose, with his silent obedience overcome the human tendency of acting on impulse and, like this, allows that God reveals his plans. He values more the God’s will than his own.

As Mary and Joseph, we also are called by God to collaborate with him in the realization of his plans. In his answer, Mary thought in us and opened to us the way of the best correspondence to the appeals of the Lord. There is point to imitate her attitude of availability and generosity. When God wants somebody for the service of his people, he doesn’t give up, but respect the freedom of each one. He knows about our limitations and lowliness, before the greatness of his plans, but even so he wants to count with us. What we consider insignificant in ourselves it is not the same for God, because He has the habit to realise the impossible and in his Kingdom, the smaller is the greater. For that we cannot put resistance or barrier against his action. On the contrary, let us abandon ourselves in his hands like Mary and Joseph, believing that He knows what he does.  

Fr. Ndega

MUNGU ANAJUA ANACHOFANYA

Kutafakari kutoka kwa Mathayo 1,18-23

Yesu ni habari njema kwa Mungu, alitangazwa na manabii kwa muda mrefu. Kuzaliwa kwake kulifanyika katika hali halisi ya binadamu, kuonyesha dhamira ya Mungu na hali hiyo. Katika aya, kabla ya andiko la leo, Mathayo anaonyesha orodha ya mababu wa Yesu, anathibitisha uwiano wa Yesu na hali binadamu kama mwana wa familia ya Daudi. Ingawa andiko hili linaongea kuhusu hali ya ubinadamu wa Yesu, linashahidi pia asili yake na umungu wake. Yeye ni Immanueli, ambayo ina maana, "Mungu yu pamoja nasi". Jina lake linamaanisha ujumbe wake: Yesu-Mungu ni mkombozi. Hivyo, yeye alikuja kudhihirisha mpango wa wokovu wa Mungu kwa wanadamu wote.

Siri ya Neno la Mungu, aliyefanyika mwili, inafuata nguvu ambayo ni kinyume na matarajio ya binadamu, ni kwamba, mahali rahisi (Nazareth, Bethlehem), watu wanyenyekevu (Mariamu na Yusufu), hakuna kuanzishwa, lakini mwaliko. Andiko linatuelekeza kwa Mariamu na Yusufu kama washirika muhimu kwa Mungu katika utambuzi wa mpango wa wokovu wake. Mariamu, kwa jibu lake la ukarimu (ndiyo), anatoa kwa Mungu upatikanaji wake na akawa mtumishi mwaminifu wake. Yusufu, kwa kutii kwa kimya yake, anashinda tabia ya ubinadamu kutenda juu ya msukumo na, kama hii, anaruhusu kwamba Mungu adhihirishe mipango yake. Yusufu anathamini zaidi mapenzi ya Mungu kuliko yake mwenyewe.  

Kama Mariamu na Yusufu, sisi pia tulioitwa na Mungu ili tushirikiana pamoja naye katika utekelezaji wa mipango yake. Katika jibu lake, Mariamu alitufikiri na alitufungulia mtindo bora ili yanahusiana kwa ushauri wa Bwana. Ni vizuri kufuata mtazamo wake wa upatikanaji na ukarimu. Wakati Mungu anataka mtu fulani kwa utumishi ya watu wake, yeye husalimu amri, lakini anaheshimu uhuru wa kila mtu. Yeye anajua kuhusu mpungufu wetu, mbele ukuu wa mipango yake, lakini hata hivyo anataka ushiriki yetu. Kile tunafikiria si muhimu sana kwetu si sawa kwa Mungu, kwa sababu Yeye ana uwezo wa kutambua kisicho wezekana na katika Ufalme wake, ndogo ni kubwa zaidi. Kwa maana hiyo hatuwezi kuweka upinzani au kizuizi dhidi ya hatua yake. Kinyume chake, hebu tujiachilie mikononi mwake kama Mariamu na Yusufu, kwa kuamini kwamba Yeye anajua anachofanya.

Fr. Ndega

Mapitio: Rose Mong’are na Mwalimu Patrick 

GOD DOESN’T ABANDON THE ONES WHO ARE SUFFERING

 A reflection from Jo 19, 25-27

This text invites us to reflect about the solidarity of the Mother Mary before the suffering of his son Whom is the Son of God.

Among the several characteristics of the Virgin Mary, this text of the gospel of John brings to us her silent testimony as First and Faithful disciple of his Son. She assumes her mission up to the last consequences. While other disciples went away, Mary remains stand up by the cross. Together with her, other three women and the disciple who Jesus loved remain also. Only the love can explain the strength and perseverance of the women in this particular moment of the life of the Master. Really, they learnt the lesson of the generous discipleship in the total gratuity. They renounced to themselves, carried their cross and made themselves sympathetic in the following of the footsteps of the Master.

We contemplate in this scene the supreme gesture of love of the Son of God, who surrenders his life for the life of the sinner humankind. His passion is the beginning of his victory upon the death, making to revive all hopes of the peoples. For him, there is no greatest love than to give the life for the good of the friends. Before the passion of the Son, we contemplate the compassion of the Mother, who knows how to love and how to suffer for the beloved. Mary assumes in her heart all sorrows of his son. Like this it is fulfilled the prophecy of Simeon in the Temple when he took the little child Jesus up in his arms: “a sword will pierce your own soul”. 

Both Son and Mother help us to reflect the hard reality of the human suffering and to believe that God doesn’t abandon the ones who are suffering. Both teach us how to welcome the suffering with serenity and to be active presence in the life of the people who are suffering. May the example of Mary, the Mother of sorrows, motivate us to live with fidelity our identity of disciples of his Son Jesus and assuming with courage our daily cross, being able to surrender our lives like Jesus for the good of others.

Fr. Ndega