BACK IN ZAMBIA

I never enjoyed long trips, mainly when I have to fly. The day before the journey, the appetite disappears and my stomach becomes upset. Anyway, the journey went well, with long walks in London, moving from one terminal to the other. We departed from terminal 5 in Heathrow airport. It is a huge new terminal. There is always a crowd of people moving in all directions. We are close together, walking or seating side by side, and yet we remain so far apart. The passenger next to me was a Zambian, who worked as a miner in Chingola and now lives in UK. We greeted each other and then we sat side by side. He spent part of the time reading the Talmud. I showed interest, and he asked me if I was a Jew. No! I am a Christian. He explained why he likes the Talmud: some of the things that are not explained in the Bible are found in the Talmud. We did not get closer than that. In the end, he went his way and I went mine, without knowing each other’s name.

Today’s world is like this: at any time, we bump into each other, and yet we remain complete strangers. Although living together, each one follows his own way. Individualism is ruling the world and becoming worse.

It is good to be back. And a new Zambia is in the making. At least, people are full of expectations. They have been betrayed so many times, that the same may happen again. Let us pray that the new leaders put themselves totally at the service of Zambia.

XVI SUNDAY: Ezekiel 18:25-28

PAST GLORIES WILL NOT SAVE US

For God, it does not matter what you were yesterday. For God, there is no yesterday. He looks at you today and he takes you for what he sees. If you were very good in the past, but you are no more, God will not see or remember that goodness that has gone. Today, he finds evil in you and he will judge you for that. If you have changed for good, God sees that good in you today.

Our past is part of our lives and it brought us where we are today. We come from there, but we are no more there; we have moved and we are somewhere else. The glories of the past are useless, if we don’t pursue them today. There are some people who spend their time thinking about the past. We must look forward not backward. Salvation is in front, in the coming future, and we have to move towards it. We should not live in the past. There is a Bemba proverb that says going back will eat you (ulubwelela numa lulalya). 

A NEW PRESIDENT FOR ZAMBIA

Finally the results are out, and our hearts may rest for  while. The victory is clear. Now we look to the future. What future id there for Zambia with Sata? I hope that he shows common sense, realism and fairness to all Zambians, not forgetting respect to all. We need discipline and hard work in the country, and that has to be done in accordance with the law. 

Sata has many good qualities that may help to put Zambia in the right track; but he has some other features of his character that make people suspicious and apprehensive about his leadership. As some pictures present him with a cross, I pray that he may learn from the cross, which implies humility, service and suffering for others' sake.

May God bless Zambia.

MAY GOD BLESS ZAMBIA

Tomorrow, it will be a great day for Zambia; a day in which the people of Zambia will hold the future in their own hands. There are many expectations and also many apprehensions. How are people going to vote? Is the election going to be free and fair? And how truthful is the counting of the votes going to be? Is it going to be like in the past, where in several places more vote were cast than the number of residents living in that place? We pray for truthfulness and fairness. No tricks done behind the back of the people.

Zambia needs change, a peaceful change, which comes from a deep desire of a better life for Zambia. I pray for Zambia and for the Zambian people. I pray that God may give them wisdom and courage. I pray for the winners and for the losers, because all of them are Zambians and all of them want the best for their beloved country. The losers must accept their defeat; and the winners must show respect for all those who did not vote for them. However, this will not be possible, if the ballot counting is not in an open and irreproachable way.

May God bless Zambia, so that Zambia may always enjoy peace.

XXV SUNDAY: Mt 20:1-16

Salvation is not a right, but a gift

Sometimes, Jesus’ words can be puzzling, going against what we call common sense, according to our thinking. In the first reading, God warns us: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways” (Is 55:8). And Jesus makes that very clear both in his teaching and his actions.

In a way, the parable of the landowner calling workers to his vineyard tries to give a justification to the saying: “the last will be first, and the first, last.” It sounds strange, but it is a reality of life, even if it does not happen every day. Do you want to see clear examples of that? Just remember what has been happening in some countries, like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The ones who were all powerful yesterday are today in prison or in hiding. They were the first, and now they became the last. 

If we play tricks with life, life will play tricks with us. We should never behave as the owners of life or as people who are superior to others. When we forget the others and start dominating them, we are preparing our own downfall.

In the parable, all the workers were paid the same. According to old and modern mentality, that was very unfair. Nowadays, it would cause a strike or even a riot. It is accepted wisdom that different work goes with different pay. However, if we concentrate on this line of thought, we miss the whole point of the parable, which is not dealing with fairness, but with generosity. 

The truth of the matter is that all of them were jobless and all of them were lost in idleness. The landowner came to their rescue, not out of need, but of love and compassion. That’s why he kept on checking if there more people in need of work. And he invited all of them to his vineyard. He wanted them to have a purpose in life and to have their dignity restored, because idleness brings dependence and shame. 

With the first ones, he had agreed a good salary. So he was not cheating or exploiting them. In the end, he gave the same to all, not out of duty, but generosity. God calls all of us, and he gives to all the same payment, salvation.

The parable of the landowner who called different workers at different times to his vineyard and paid all of them the same amount tells us that salvation is not a right we were born with or one which we acquired with our hard work. Salvation is a gift from a loving God. We cannot be jealous, when God calls others and offers to them the same salvation he offered to us. Instead, we must be thankful for the great things God has done for us.

SEPTEMBER 11: the madness of hatred

Ten yars ago, I was enjoying my holidays, as I am doing this year. I was spending three days with Fr. Adriano, who had been my classmate in the seminary. In the morning, In th morning, I entered the sitting room, where Fr. Adriano’s mother was watching television, and something strange was happening, broadcasted live from America. After a while, Fr. Adriano joined me and we spent most of the day in front of the screen. Ten years have passed, and the events of September 11 still reverberate throughout the world.

How can such an act be justified? How could it be done in the name of God? And how could they claim martyrdom? The martyrs are killed, they don’t kill. The martyrs are ready to die in faithfulness to God, who is a God of life and love. They cannot commit suicide and transform their death into an orgy of blood, chaos, destruction and death. It is blasphemy to do the most horrendous things in the name of the most sacred One. God cannot be used to justify any violence, much less the violence that comes out of hatred.

Jesus warned Peter:  the ones who “take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Mt 26:52). Violence generates violence; and that’s what happened in the aftermath of September 11: Afghanistan was invaded and then Iraq. Since then, plenty of blood has been shed and countless families have lost their beloved ones, with many others suffering distress and living in fear.

The Sunday readings of today are very appropriate for the occasion: they stress the need for forgiveness and reconciliation. In the first reading, Sirach warns us that resentment, anger, hatred and vengeance are foul things, because they are enemies of peace and the enemies of life. Blessed are the peacemakers; they are children of God.

Let us work for peace.
The video link posted below shows the horrors of September 11.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mz0_x7313I&feature=fvst

XXIV SUNDAY: Mt 18:21-35

Forgiveness

Peter put to Jesus a very pertinent question: How many times should I forgive? The answer was very simple: Always!

God is always ready to forgive, and we are called to be perfect as the Father. However, it is a very difficult thing to do. How can I forgive? Humanly speaking, we prefer vengeance to forgiveness. We do not believe that people may change and we are not ready to give them a second opportunity. In our thirst for revenge, we pay evil with evil. 

About that, Paul wrote to the Romans: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Ro 12:21), and “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Ro 12:14).

In fact, we are able to forgive only when we experience God’s forgiveness, after realising the destructive power of our sin. Forgiveness is something that we must learn at the feet of Jesus.

We should not think that forgiveness and reconciliation are only a personal thing and applies only to personal relationships. Forgiveness can have political dimensions, and it is never a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength in dignity. You can remember Nelson Mandela and the change he brought about by his attitude and his policy of forgiveness and reconciliation. To forgive does not mean to ignore or to accept evil, but it implies confidence  in others ability to change and be better. Reconciliation is  a positive choice made by someone who refuses to build society on hatred and violence.