Although my stay in Nairobi has turned out to be a little longer than I expected, my time here has not been wasted. I’ve gotten to know the city pretty well, and most of all have made some wonderful new friends. The local community of Communion and Liberation, AVSI – its NGO (non-governmental organization), and especially the consecrated laymen and women of Memores Domini (Memory of the Lord) opened their arms, their hearts and their homes to me and welcomed me like a member of the family. In addition to some of the experiences I have described earlier, yesterday I had yet another, or rather several. In the evening I was able to participate in the Young Workers School of Community at Holy Family Cathedral. About 20 Kenyans, mostly in their twenties, gathered to discuss a portion of Monsignor Luigi Giussani’s most recently published book in English, Is It Possible to Live This Way? The particular topic was obedience. The two points from the reading that most struck me were that for obedience to be authentically human: 1)it requires work and effort to understand how what is being asked of me connects with me as a person and propels me toward my destiny; and 2) there exists a relationship of friendship with the people I am following in which they not only embody the fullness of life I desire to experience, but also have a genuine affection for me and for my fulfillment. The testimonies of the young Kenyans who were present were moving and challenging.
The gathering ended with an exhortation by the leader, in keeping with the proposal of Monsignor Giussani, to pray the Angelus three times a day, as a reminder of the presence of Christ in our lives, and to participate in Mass even on days other than Sundays. Nairobi is a very religiously diverse city. There are two Hindu temples within walking distance of where I’m staying. The cries of the imams from mosques calling the large Islamic population to prayer are heard throughout the city five times a day, especially now during the month of Ramadan. On the two occasions I passed through Schipol airport in Amsterdam and celebrated Mass in the meditation room there, most of those who entered to pray were Moslems. Not so long ago in many communities in the US and Europe, it was church bells that called Catholics to pause and pray the Angelus three times a day. There is a famous painting called the "Angelus" by Jean-Francois Millet that depicts two peasants pausing in the midst of plowing a field to recite this prayer. Reviving the custom of praying the Angelus, especially when the church bells that still ring are heard, is a step toward becoming more prayerful and mindful of Christ, and recovering a beautiful Catholic tradition.
The Angelus, by Jean-Francois Millet
For the first time, later that evening, in the dark, I drove a manual transmission car with the steering wheel on the right and the gear shift on my left, on the left hand side of the road, according to the British usage adopted by Kenya. It was a little nerve wracking trying to get my mind and body to adjust to the mirror image of what it’s used to in terms of driving. But when we arrived at the women’s Memores Domini house there were no dents in the car and no traffic tickets, even if I stalled once or twice and frustrated an aggressive matatu (Kenyan minivan taxi) driver along the way. They gave me a wonderful Italian send-off dinner to Sudan, and we ended the evening in song and prayer.
God willing, my next posting will be from Sudan. Please say a prayer for safe travel and starting off on the right foot in Torit!
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