麻豆约拍

Good morning.听

Recently I met Fr Paul at his parish church in Zimbabwe. I was visiting a project there which includes a small farm and market garden worked by the villagers. For the first time, they produce enough food for its own needs, and surplus to trade at market so there is money for paying school fees and buying clothes and books for the children. There was a real sense of pride and achievement as we spoke with the villagers. The reason for this success is the provision of a borehole bringing water for drinking, cooking, washing and growing the vegetables.

Fr Paul took us into his spotlessly clean church and stood by three large picture frames, each containing fifteen photographs of different chapels. These are his forty five mission stations spread throughout his single parish - a parish as large as my own Diocese here in the United Kingdom. Some of the chapels were sturdy brick buildings; others were much simpler with mud walls and thatched roofs. Given the distances, he can only manage to visit some of the more remote chapels every few months but they thrive on the generosity of the community members听 who keep the places in good repair, and the people meet regularly for prayer and celebration. Life is hard, made all the harder by the failure of the rainy season last year but the people were full of a sense of celebration and gratitude for the simplest things of life.
I shall remember Fr Paul and the villagers today when I get caught up in the rush of a busy and much more complicated life with all too many choices and the luxuries that I take for granted and I shall try to be more grateful for all that I have, and I will pray that I will use it well. Amen.

听