MIRROR News – Issue February 2018 by ACN Malta

+e218emal 29.01.2018 12:19 Seite 1

www.acnmalta.org

No 2 • February 2018 Published eight times per year

Life in the light of Eternity: Poor Clares from Latin America.

“It is Christ’s will that His bride, the Holy Church, should constantly renew herself. She must cleanse herself from the dust of the ages in order to remain equal to the challenges of the age. … And since we ourselves are the Church, the task of this renewal is laid upon each one of us.” Father Werenfried van Straaten (1913-2003)

The season of Lent is marked by the important symbol of ashes and by the call to conversion. What do these ashes mean? They point to the reality of death. Whether we like it or not, we all have to face up to this reality, and it is a healthy thing to do so. Contemplating death is not morbid, it is a reminder for us to live our day-to-day lives in a good and fruitful way. Death is simply the end of the time of trial. It is the moment when our freedom of action ceases, and with it the time when we can gain merit by our actions. After this comes eternity, and nothing more can be added and nothing taken away. In eternity we will be able to enjoy what we have merited in time. Many people think of death as frightening, as something not to be spoken about, but it is a reality which illuminates our earthly lives. Time brings about change, and it is so precious precisely because it does come to an end: it’s now or never! Only during our earthly life can we gain merit for eternal

life, there are no second chances after death! And so every moment can be lived as an act of love for God! Everything can be offered to Him. The smallest merit, gained in the briefest time imaginable, endures for all eternity. And if we lose these merits through sin, then provided we repent, everything can be regained. Our sins do not return, if we have confessed and

before us – as their merits endure eternally. And our merits also endure eternally! Of course, we cannot compare ourselves with the saints and martyrs, yet nevertheless our own small merits will last for ever, just like theirs.

When a good deed has been done, time does not claim it for itself but passes it on into eternity. How wonderful and moving is the Mercy of God! The season of Lent is a call to us to reflect on our use of time. Do you see how the thought of death can serve life? I wish you all a fruitful Lenten gained absolution, but our merits do. This season, a time filled with divine love and is what makes the difference between jus- good deeds of charity. That is how we can tice and the triumph of Divine Mercy. prepare ourselves for our own eternal life!

Every moment can be lived as an act of love for God!

Our merits are like a tiny point: but when May God bless you and the Blessed Virgin God stretches that tiny point it becomes a protect you! line stretching into infinity. It is the same even with our smallest good deeds. They may be small, but they are not forgotten; they earn the reward of eternal happiness and they endure for ever. That is also why we call on the saints, even if they have Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, found their way to God twenty centuries President of ACN 1

+e218emal 29.01.2018 12:19 Seite 2

ligious e r g n i rt Suppo

life

Co-workers in the Kingdom of Love

Loving and affectionate: the Carmelite Sisters of Barquisimeto.

In her “Prayer on growing older” Saint Teresa of Avila says: “Lord pro- and Trappist Sisters in Barquisimeto the tect me from gloomy saints. Keep me reasonably sweet, for a sour old minimum they need to survive (€8,600). person is one of the crowning works of the devil.” It is likewise a matter of survival for the The discalced Carmelite Sisters of Bar- than her. Without outside aid they could not Carmelite Sisters in Sebikotane, in the quisimeto in Venezuela are not necessarily fulfil their vocation and mission of devoting Archdiocese of Dakar in Senegal. Again, all saints, but old and sour they certainly are their whole lives to God in prayer. It is a as Archbishop Benjamin Ndiaye assures not – rather they are all loving and affec- similar story for the 32 Trappist nuns in us, their prayer is “an enormous support for tionate. And yet these daughters of Saint Barquisimeto. Sister Lilian has already had the diocese, and especially for the seminary Teresa do not have an easy life. Bar- two strokes and Sister Bernarda suffers where Senegalese priests have been trained quisimeto’s eleven Sisters also suffer from from muscular dystrophy and high blood for generations”. But the Sisters need a car, the poverty afflicting their once oil-rich pressure. The others go without in order to to transport the vegetables grown in their country, which has been brought to its pay for their medication, yet as Mother convent garden and the chickens they raise knees by political and economic misman- Paola writes, “This will still not be enough. to the market in Dakar, 30 miles (50 km) agement – and a social crisis bordering on Nevertheless, we continue to pray and away. This is the main way that the Sisters, civil war. The worst thing for them is the work, with joy and hope in our hearts.” who come from Ghana, Sierra Leone, lack of medical supplies, which two of the Archbishop Antonio Lopez Castillo of Bar- Togo, the Cape Verde Islands and Senegal Sisters depend on for their lives. Many quisimeto adds his own plea: “Please help. support themselves. The old car is now foodstuffs are largely unobtainable and The Sisters are indispensable to the archdio- worn out by and costing them too much in even water is in short supply. Moreover, cese. We need the prayers of these Sisters.” repairs. We have promised them €22,900 they have no running water, and they can- We are determined to provide the Carmelite for a new car. not afford to bore a well in the convent grounds. Meanwhile, there is a growing climate of superstition and idolatry in the country, involving the theft of human organs and bones obtained through the desecration of graves. To avoid this danger, the Sisters have had to remove the mortal remains of their deceased foundress and fellow Sisters from the public cemetery and laid them in a place of safety.

•

“Through our prayers we are co-workers in the Kingdom of Love, even in this world”, writes their 37-year-old abbess, Mother Isabel. Five of the 11 Sisters are younger 2

The Carmelites of Sebikotane. They have been serving the Church for almost 70 years in this convent. Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar

+e218emal 29.01.2018 12:19 Seite 3

io miss n i s is t e r

Releasing the handbrake There are many different forms of mission, but all involve service to others, all are expressions of love. As Father Werenfried wrote, this pastoral outreach is more than mere humanitarianism. As “with money you can comfort people, but with love you can redeem them”. This is precisely the spirit in which Sister Franziska and Sister Helena of the Missionary Dominican Sisters of Jesus and Mary are working in the towns of Oryol und Bryansk, in Russia. In these towns, which are over 80 miles (130 km) apart, they give catechetical instruction to children, young people and adults. They also visit the sick and take Holy Communion to them; for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass they prepare the altar and play the organ; they clean the pres-

Always on the go, always joyful in the service of others: the Dominican Sisters Franziska (right) and Helena (left).

bytery and cook for the clergy; they conduct Liturgies of the Word and organise retreats; they visit the elderly and laugh and pray with them. For all this pastoral work they need a reliable car. They would also love to

be able to visit the Sisters from their congregation in other parts of the country. But just recently it has been as though they are driving with the handbrake on. Their car comes from Poland, which causes complications, eg as it does not meet Russian environmental standards it can’t be registered in Russia. So it has to be registered in Poland and, for legal reasons, return there every six months. Border crossings are expensive and the Sisters are dependent on support from their mother house or gifts from benefactors. To cut a long story short: they will be selling the car and buying a Russian one. But they still need €9,500. Will you help the Sisters release the handbrake that is holding back their ministry of love?

•

Bringing the Good News to young and old.

Syria: Showing God’s love and mercy in Homs Daughters of the Mother of Mercy – in the city of Homs these religious Sisters are really living up to their name. The fighting has ceased in the city. But the town still looks like a battle site. The Syriac Catholic Sisters’ convent was among the buildings destroyed. So they have moved to Zaidal, a suburb of Homs where there is a large Christian community. And their presence is desperately needed here. They care for everyone, giving catechetical instruction, helping in the hospital, visiting the elderly and lonely, caring for the families. They want Zaidal to be a place of mercy, a place where ar

Christians no longer need to live in fear. But who will care for the Sisters themselves? Where will they live and pray in peace? The three Syriac Sisters found a flat to live in, and took a loan so that they could buy it. But now they need our help, as what they really need is a house so they can expand their activities. The flat was just a first step to develop their work. We have promised them €21,000, as we must respond to the merciful love they There for everyone: Sister Mirjam at are showing to others. work.

projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

•

+e218emal 29.01.2018 12:20 Seite 4

ga Mada

scar L

The dream of the Poor Clares The book has the challenging title, Is Prayer Necessary? The contemplative Sisters answer the question with their lives. For some Sisters their work is to pray for the Church, others serve God in a more active life. Prayer always has a social dimension – but social work without prayer redeems no one. For the Poor Clares in Madagascar this is self-evident. They have five convents on the island, knowing that the social problems here cannot be resolved by work alone. “We want to fulfil the wonderful dream of saving many souls through the offering of our lives”, says Sister Laura. She is one of six Sisters living in the newest convent, which

Bringing the light of faith: the six Sisters of the new convent. 4

has just been founded. Like three of the Sisters there – Chiara, Gloria and Celeste – Sister Laura comes from Sicily, the other two – Agnes and Francesca – are from Madagascar. From their convent they hope to light up the Diocese of Ambanja. It is called “Kintana Manazava”, which means something like the “Convent of Light from Light”. They want this light to light up the darkness of people’s lives here, especially the lives of the women, who often find themselves left alone with their children – as there is little sense of family cohesion in Madagascar. There are only a few schools, the illiteracy rate is high and even the religious life suffers from a lack of education, while across the island superstitious practices are widespread. Poverty and unemployment, prostitution and drugs are a bitter truth of daily life. Electricity and running water are a luxury, and many people have never even seen a car. In order to light up this darkness, the Sisters begin with the light of faith, with prayer. One of the major concerns of their foundress was always to keep this balance

Keeping the balance right: prayer first, then work in the fields.

between work and prayer, in which prayer must always take priority. Rule No. 7 of the Rule of the Poor Clares says, “The Sisters must work with fidelity and dedication – but without suffocating the spirit of prayer and devotion. All other temporal things must serve HIM alone.” For the Sisters it was a sign from heaven when one of the parishes gave them a statue of Our Lady to mark the opening of the convent. During the Marian months of May and October the statue of the Virgin of La Salette travels from house to house so that people can pray the Rosary before it. As well as the six professed Sisters there are four novices and four young postulants living in the new convent. They devote themselves to prayer and religious formation. The land is paid for, but they do not have the funds to extend the house or build the chapel, which will also serve the Christians of the local community – especially the women. They want everyone to be able to draw strength from prayer. We have promised part funding of €200,000 for this project. The Sisters’ dream is a selfless one; it will find fulfilment.

In the book that he considered his most important work, the Doctor of the Church Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote something many people today might find hard to hear: “The person who prays will most certainly gain Heaven. But the person who does not pray will likewise certainly be eternally lost.”

•

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar

+e218emal 29.01.2018 12:20 Seite 5

or India f n g i a camp Lenten

Christian women – thrice discriminated Swetha belongs to the lowest caste in society. She cannot even tell us her age – as Dalits seldom have any papers. She is largely excluded from Indian society – this is the first discrimination.

But when the Dalits become Christians they lose even the support the state provides to the poorest in society – this is the second discrimination. Swetha looks as though she is in her mid30s, but poverty and years of discord with her husband have worn her down. Is source of their problems a customary disregard for women? Or jealousy about Swetha’s faith, which has become so important to her? Swetha cannot or will not say. But this much is true: women are less valued than men. This is the third discrimination. Swetha has put up with a great deal – blows, suffering, helplessness. And yet she is determined to remain Catholic – and remain with her husband. “When he hit me on the head with a heavy object, I was knocked unconscious”. But she did not leave her husband. “My faith gave me strength. I went back to the church again, as soon as possible; not only on Sundays, but as often as possible.” This, and the lack of sons were the sources of tension in her marriage.

Her most treasured possession: the Bible changed Swetha’s life.

Swetha and her daughters: Dalit Christian women face discrimination because of their birth, gender and religion.

Both of them are Dalits, and called the untouchables. Dalits are disregarded, jobless, without a future. And treated accordingly. Commonly they are seen more as beasts than as human beings. Swetha’s three daughters blink suspiciously; they rarely smile. Even for children each day is a burden. According to the UN, one in every two or three of India’s approximately 1.3 billion is so poor they have to get by on less than US$1 a day – for Swetha and her family it is a constant struggle for survival. One day, when an unknown woman told her about the Bible, Swetha really pricked up her ears. “My father bought my brothers schoolbooks. But I had to go out to work. I learned to read only later; I wanted to know more about this Bible.” The Good News of a King who goes out to the least and the lowest, who addresses them personally, who even gives his life for their redemption – this was something unheard of for the Dalits. It is the Bible that changes people, transforms and heals them. That was Swetha’s

projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

experience. “After the quarrels with my husband, I became ill, again and again, very ill. Nobody helped me. But then he himself began to come with me to church. He could see the good that the Church and the Mass was doing to me.” Soon both of them were attending a Catholic marriage seminar. The SCCs, or “Small Christian Communities” organise Bible courses, prayer meetings and other forms of pastoral outreach. Today there are some 85,000 of them in India. The Dalits are welcome here, there is no discrimination here. Here in the SCC for the first time they have experienced a sense of community and dignity as human beings, as children of God. ACN is supporting these communities, along with many other projects in India. In 2017 alone the charity invested some 5.9 million Euros in the future of the Catholics here. Will you help us in our ongoing work in 2018?

•

Karla Sponar 5

+e218emal 29.01.2018 12:20 Seite 6

For many of the children from the Niniveh plains in Iraq the most recent Christmas was different. This time many of them were able to celebrate the feast in their own homes. For the past three years they were uprooted, homeless in their own land, or waiting in refugee camps unable to return. But last Christmas you made it possible for them to do so. And there was also a Christmas parcel for them from you. “These presents bear the mark of God’s love”, says Sister Ni’am of the congregation of the Daughters of Mary, who coordinated this gift campaign for thousands of children. It is a gesture of love at Christmas and has given them new courage for the future. “They are praying for you”, Sister Ni’am assures us.

Need, love and thanks − your letters All his worldly wealth Enclosed, at his request, is a donation by Brother Joseph-Marie, a Carthusian, for the centre in Mutemwa, Zimbabwe. These are his life savings! In a few weeks time Joseph-Marie will take his perpetual vows, and we ask your prayers and those of all the wonderful ACN family for him. We are happy to be able to fulfil his request, and we count on your prayers. Thank you! Benefactors in France From Slovakia – proud to be a part of ACN We still follow your work for Christians in need and know you from the past, when you helped the people of Slovakia. Now we are proud to be a part of your good work ourselves, through our small regular donations. We will try to give still more, if our financial situation allows. A family in Slovakia

My heart aches I just want to thank you for all the great work you do all over the world and particularly in the Middle East, my heart aches when I read about the hardship that those poor people are going through, please use my donation for whatever purpose you see fit. A benefactress in Australia Deeply moved I got to know about your work through a good friend of mine, who is already a benefactress. Enclosed is a small donation which I will certainly try and repeat whenever I am able. I was deeply moved by the plight of the victims of the war in Syria, as I lived there for four years myself and was able to help the Sisters of Mother Teresa as a volunteer. My warmest congratulations to you on your work for this blessed charity! A benefactress in Portugal

Johannes Freiherr Heereman, Executive President, ACN (International)

Dear Friends,

This year we are starting a new campaign in our offices around the world. This time focusing on India, a subcontinent of much light and much darkness. It is the continent of Saint Thomas the Apostle, of Saint Mother Teresa and of so many other unknown saints, and indeed martyrs as well. The Catholic Church there is only small numerically, but plays an important role in proportion to her size. The campaign aims to focus on the life, the work and the needs of Christians in India. We want to help them in the same way that we always do – by providing practical and even material aid for the salvation of souls. This is how Mother Teresa also saw her work of service. We cannot and do not want to compete with the major humanitarian aid agencies; our service is above all a pastoral one. Hence this campaign fits in with our other campaigns through which, for some time now, we have sought to ease the plight of Christians in Iraq, in Syria, and in Africa. In doing so we are always conscious of the fact that without you, and without your generous giving, our campaigns would be impossible. And likewise without your love. Amor Christi urget nos – the love of Christ urges us on – and it also unites us together. In this spirit I want to express once more my joyful and heartfelt thanks to you all.

Editors: Jürgen Liminski & Stephen Axisa Please use the envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Publisher: Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038 Attard ATD 9038; Tel: 21487818; Fax: 21586257 APS Bank, IBAN: MT72 APSB 7705 7008 5772 2000 1771 733 Printed in Malta BIC: APSBMTMT De licentia competentis auctoritatis Email: info@acnmalta.org – facebook//Aid to the Church in Need Malta ecclesiasticae Pass this leaflet on to your neighbours, friends or leave it at the Parish www.acnmalta.org Church for others to review.

Where to send your contribution for the Church in Need