By Jean-Pierre Niati, R.C. chaplain, Detention Center Rotterdam
On Sunday July 7th 2019, the bishop Everard de Jong (diocese of Roermond) has visited the detention center of Rotterdam. Monsignor Dr. Everard de Jong, auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Roermond, was appointed by the Dutch bishops to be in charge of pastoral care in the prisons, youth ministry and care institutions.
Upon his arrival in the morning, he was welcomed by Mrs. Jeanin Bou Rached, one of the five members of the general management. She is also the one who holds the portfolio of the Pastoral Service at the detention center.
During her meeting the Deputy Director, Jeanin Bou Rached, has briefed her guest about the situation in the course of the last period. She also informed her visitor about the transformations that will take place in the Center.
As holder of the pastoral care portfolio, the Deputy Director emphasized the importance of the pastoral care for those who are locked up in the center as well as for the entire institution entrusted to her. At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Director accompanied the prelate to the church where he celebrated the Sunday Mass before the ardent congregation.
It is worth to note the role of the Filipino parish at Gouda.
The worshipers, the choir, the chaplain of the detention center and the volunteers Irene, Jane and Amor from the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda warmly welcomed the prelate. Here it is worth noting that Irene, Jane and Amor are actively involved in the roman catholic chaplaincy of the detention center Rotterdam.
The faith in
God as the source of our
strength
The perceptible meditation of this Eucharistic celebration was candied by songs in English, French, Dutch and Tagalog (one of the languages of the Philippines). The believers sang with fervor that came from their hearts.
Bishop De Jong urged the believers to consider the faith in God as the source of our strength. Particularly, he addressed those who are locked up in the center because of lacking a permit of stay in the Netherlands.
Afterwards he encouraged them to pray incessantly and recite the rosary. Referring to the role of prayer in the life of a believer, the bishop affirmed the strength of praying.
He advised them to keep their eyes, minds and hearts focused on Jesus, for only He who can give us the strength to go through the storm and He who grants inner peace.
In concluding his preaching, the celebrant reminded us to always ask for help from Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. They will never abandon us. The Filipino wisdom teaches us that “Kung walang tiyaga, walang nilaga.” (Without perseverance, there is no reward). Msgr. De Jong offered a rosary of Nazareth to all participants.
How good it is for sisters and brothers to dwell together in unity
Just before leaving the church, one of the undocumented exclaimed: “It’s a unfortunate that we are going back to our cells. “It was good to be here together” (Psalm 133).
For sure, it was good for the bishop, the choir, the warders, the deputy director, the undocumented and the volunteers to have shared this moment together in the house of God.
Each of us
is an angel with only one wing
Luciano de Crescenzo rightly says that each of us is an angel with only one wing. This is a known reality in the Philippines, “Malakas ang isang walis dahil ang mga tangkay nito ay maayos na nakakabit” (the broom we use can only be strong if its rods are properly attached). We can only fly by supporting one another.
(Pictures from Deputy director Mrs. Jeanin Bou Rached)
Communication is something that barely any human person can do without. Whenever we pick up our phones, we expect to see a message from someone. Besides official messages, it is a fact that the closer people are to each other, the more often they communicate with one another. While communication involves transmission of information, communion goes further to include union of minds or spirits. Contents of communication (i.e messages) differ in relation to depth of relationships. There can be no relationship without communication or communion such that one can rightly say that a relationship is dead without communication, or how healthy a relationship is can be deduced from the modes, contents or intensity of communication among the partners. Partners in a relationship is here defined in the broader sense to include anyone with whom you are in transaction at the point in time. It could be your boss or colleague, parents or children, and of course your married partner or any other form of relationship, the highest being our relationship with God.
Communication takes many forms. It could be negotiating, arguing, urging, acknowledging, motivating, appreciating, etc. The manner of communicating is not only influenced by the circumstance and the relationship with the other, and vice versa, but can as well largely determines the direction any relationship goes.
In the first reading, we see Abraham negotiating with the Lord who was on his way to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Relationship between Abraham and the Lord attained a new level with the good manner in which Abraham received him and the other co-visitors, prompting the Lordm to consider telling Abraham his intention to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. As the discussion developed, Abraham gained confidence because the partner in the discussion seemed open and tolerant to his requests. Abraham was not asking anything for himself, but knowing that his brother, Lot, was residing in Sodom at the time, he sought to spare the land and his brother’s family. Here we see intercessory prayer in action. The action of praying for others, but also to work for the benefit of other people always find favour in the sight of God. The bible is filled with accounts of great intercessors who pleaded on behalf of the people before God. Moses played this role when the anger of God broke out against his people in the wilderness. In Exodus 32: 11 and Deuteronomy 9: 13-14 Moses stood against God’s anger towards the rebellious Israelites in the wilderness and thereby averted their being destroyed. Ezekiel 22:20 echoes the need for intercession in the words attributed to God desiring that there was an intercessor to avert destruction of the people, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one”.
In the Gospel Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. In the format of the prayer, The Lord’s prayer, we see the elements of good communication between a child an his loving father. The first part which concentrates on the interest of the father – acknowledgement of his fatherhood, adoration, wishing his will to be done – reflects the purpose of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He came to reveal our heavenly father to us and teach us his will. Jesus himself opinioned that his food is to do the will of the father who sent him and to finish his work (John 4: 34).
Doing the will of the father is something that is often confusing. How do we know the will of God in any circumstance? The simple human question that naturally arise from this is, “how do we know the will of those around us – our boss, colleagues, friends, children, loved ones, partners, etc? Simple! We may not always know what they want or desire but the closer we are to them the easier it is to decode what they would likely want in a situation. It is a matter of how close a relationship is and the intensity of good and open communication existing in it. Jesus maintained close communion with the father by constantly going aside to pray. Major decisions like choosing his apostles (Lk. 6: 12-13) and facing his crucifixion (Matt. 26:36-42) were preceded by prayer with the father. Communication with the father was a vital aspect of the life and mission of Jesus. When we intensify our communication with God our loving father through prayer and reflection/meditation, our relationship with him will deepen, and his Spirit will reveal things to us (cf.1 Corinthians 2:10).
The second part deals with the interest of the one praying. Like Abraham in the first reading, we negotiate our interest with our heavenly father – seeking our sustenance, reconciliation with him and with others. Forgiveness is so important that it is premised on the condition that we too forgive others. Lack of forgiveness blocks any meaningful communication and severely harms relationships. There is nothing so destructive as unforgiveness. We need God’s forgiveness and those of the people we have offended to enable us enjoy peaceful and blessed life, and we equally need to intend this goodness to others by forgiving them for the harm they caused us. Offering or receiving forgiveness is like repairing a bridge that connects two communities, without which physical contact between those communities would be impossible.
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus draws our attention to the pattern our prayers or communication with God should take. So often we begin with our interest (give us this day) rather than acknowledging the goodness of God and seeking for his will to be done in our lives. Similar things happen in human relationships. People who only come to take from us without ever appreciating our goodness or giving back in any way are often not in our good book. Even Abraham knew that good reception of his guests could open a way to better relationship.
Jesus went further to tell a story to encourage perseverance. Life is tough and only the tough keeps winning. Giving up in the face of adversity or shutting off when we feel we are not making a headway is often not the best decision. Giving one more trial could do the needed magic. Jesus urges us to pray without ceasing (Lk. 18:1). We need to have confidence in our heavenly father. A confidence that springs from the fact that, through baptism, we have been made God’s children by the death and resurrection of Jesus, an event that cancelled the consequences of our sins (cf. 2nd reading – Colossians 2:12-14).
Jesus assures us that God our loving father will give us what we asks with confidence if we persevere, and St. Paul’s statement in Rom. 8:32 strengthens this assurance: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” It is with this confidence that we have to strengthen the bond of our relationship with God and intensify our communion/communication with him in the various forms of prayer (liturgy, worship, private prayers, meditation/reflection, etc.).
Every 4th Sunday of the month, FCC Gouda and Surroundings holds a Children’s Bible Corner. Its aim is to teach children the liturgy for that particular Sunday in words and activities they can understand. On this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the reflection is about Jesus teaching us how to pray and why praying is important .
Last Sunday, there were only four children present in the church, ( Lucas, Derek, Zeanna and Lorraine), nevertheless, the interaction among them was enthusiastically light and interesting.
This photo below of both hands together was shown to them and immediately the children recognised that it is a photo of someone praying.
The children were asked if they pray and all answered in the affirmative. Derek said that he prays that no one in his family will become sick while Lucas prays for a new toy. Do they pray with both hands together? Everyone answered “Yes!” Zeanna mentioned that she even closes her eyes when she prays. When do they pray? One said before sleeping and the other, before eating and another in the car before going somewhere. When asked if they can tell God everything, they responded that they can. They learned that God loves and wants us to talk to Him.
Indeed, prayer can be done with both hands together or both hands open, swaying their hands praising God , kneeling or bowing their heads. The children must learn to pray and talk to God as their Father just like how Jesus taught us how to pray, short or long, anytime and anywhere.
With that said, the children presented the photo above( which they colored) in the church. Zeanna led the prayer for the group, reminding everyone that Prayer is conversation with God; He loves us and He wants us to talk to him.
The Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda and Surroundings held its annual Family Fun Day last June 29, 2019 at the Antonius Hall in Gouda. Its goal is to raise funds to support FCC Gouda activities. To captivate the beauty of summer, this year party theme is Havana look. The hall was decorated with colorful and summer-like articles. Despite a very warm (32°C) day, people, attired in colorful clothes, started to fill the hall at around 5pm with smiles and joyous greetings.
Rightly so, the program started with an opening prayer of praise and gratitude led by Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe. Dinner was served afterwards while Stephany Alison renders a sweet song. The party went on with surprise dance and song numbers and games for young and old.
The highlight of the night is the appreciation of all volunteers who gave time and resources and worked hard for the maintenance and betterment of the FCC Gouda. The volunteers were each given a ribbon of recognition for their contributions (diaconal work, choir, altar servers, making and printing of mass handouts, creative works and the Children Bible Corner (CBC) guides). Appreciations were extended to the members of FCC Dordrecht and FCC Rotterdam for their support in the FCC Gouda activities. Special acknowledgements were also given to persons who generously donated things/items/articles and funds to FCC Gouda.
Towards the end of the party, the best havana costume was selected by a panel of judges. Ma Luz vd Starre and Gina Lea van Rijn were chosen to be the best havana dressed girls of the night.
It was indeed a fun filled family day, just as how the people came in, everyone left not only with smiles on their lips but joy in their hearts.
Today, the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This feast was established and extended to the Universal Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264 to celebrate the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. During the Last Supper, while at table with his disciples, Jesus took bread, said the prayers, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: take this all of you and eat of it, for THIS IS MY BODY. The same he did with the wine saying: “THIS IS MY BLOOD”. He then commanded them to “do this in memory of me.” These same words are repeated by the priest during consecration because the Eucharist is NOT a symbol of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ but the REAL presence of Jesus Christ.
Jesus makes the most perfect gift of himself to us in the Eucharist out of his love and desire to be intimately united with us at all times. Love manifests itself in giving, and the greatest gift is that of oneself. The readings of today deal with the subject of giving or offering of something. The first reading related the encounter of Abram with Melchizedek on his return from a victorious battle. Abram offered a tenth of all his spoils to the priest of the Most High God, Melchizedek, who blessed him. Melchizedek in turn offered bread and wine in thanksgiving to God on behalf of Abram. The offering of bread and wine foreshadowed the event of the Eucharist which Jesus, the perfect high priest of the new order, offered for the salvation of mankind.
The Gospel reading touched on the same theme of giving without counting the cost, a symbol of boundless love. Having taught the people for several days, Jesus felt their physical hunger and lack of bread. Rather than sending them away to go and fend for themselves, he decided to do something instead, to find a way to feed them. Jesus had no bread himself. John’s account of this event (John 6: 9) has it that there was a young boy with five loaves and two fish, and was willing to offer them up for the good of everyone rather than focus on his own personal need for them. Jesus took the bread and fish, said the prayers and set them before the people. What could not be enough for a few persons was sufficient to feed over five thousand men and twelf baskets of leftover were gathered afterwards. The extent to which true charity can go is unfathomable. That is why it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts. 20:35).
Aware of the constant human weaknesses and spiritual poverty, Jesus freely offers himself to us in the Eucharist, in such an unconditional love that the human mind can hardly grasp. He invites us to eat of him who is the true bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:51). Vatican II in Lumen Gentium 11 declared that the ‘The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”’ The Catechist of the Catholic Church (CCC 136) reaffirms this and added that “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch … It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit” (CCC 137-138). In his first letter to the Corinthians, which forms the second reading, St. Paul recounts the event of the Eucharistic celebration as a tradition which he himself received and transmits. The Eucharists became the center of Christian communities that began with the apostles of Jesus Christ and has continued down to our time. It is the command of Jesus himself that we do it in his memory.
The famous Dutch priest, Henri Nouwen, in his teaching on becoming the beloved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bGS8sysjY) sought to illustrate how the actions of Jesus in instituting the Eucharist summarise the life of Jesus and that of us all as the beloved of the father. In doing that he virtually used the words of St. Paul in the second reading to illustrate the sequence: Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to his disciples. The four words: Taken, Blessed, Broken and Given, according to him, summarize the life we are called to live in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus, the beloved, unique and anointed son of the father allows his blessed life to be taken, broken to the utmost, and given for the life of the world.
As we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ today, let us call to mind the immeasurable gift of himself that Jesus makes to us. A gift that led him to a great suffering and pain, and continues to hurt whenever we abuse his body and blood in the Eucharist. Let us also call to mind that we all, as members of his mystical body – the Church – are called to offer ourselves daily for the good of others. Difficult and painful as this may sometimes be, the Eucharist offers us the spiritual strength to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and make of our lives an offering to God for our brothers and sisters.
(Homily delivered by Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe on 23 June, 2019)
