7

Two things really struck me as I meditated on the author's notes and introduction. I am at 61, the quite comfortable owner of a used book store and I am a little scared to really ask God what he wants me to do with the last 30 years (I hope) of my life. He certainly seems to be asking me to do something and I think, sometimes at least, I try not to listen.

The second point, and it has been mentioned quite frequently in these comments, is the spirit of gratitude that the refugees show to God's grace. "This prayer was one of gratitude in spite of heart breaking and material deprivations; it was one of gratitude for the simplest of gifts, for being alive and for having escaped the war in Sudan."

I am going to try to make discernment and grateful living the focus of my Lent this year.

Wes, Nakusp, British Columbia

The introduction was just that, and I enjoyed it because it gave a well-rounded background how Fr. Gary came to be in Uganda. He listened to God, and let God take him on this journey which he is able to share with the world. It will be difficult to not read ahead, I will practice patience.

Where is my heart being led. This statement is what keeps running through my mind as I read Father Gary's introductory notes. The grace to follow the leading of the "Spirit" is truly a gift beyond all others. For this I pray constantly. My hope is that during these Lenten sharings, I will find the courage and strength to reach beyond the comforts of my life. Or, at least come to some realization of all the things in my life that I take for granted. I love the introduction to Uganda - I found the facts very informative and helpful in placing the country in my mind.

The enormity of the plight of the refugee presented me with a need to dig deep into my life as it is lived and how I am changed when I read about the lives of these people. The process is so slow.

One December, when I was still a seminarian, I was sent to a remote farm village in the island of Mindoro in the Philippines. My spiritual director asked me to stay and do nothing but to be with the farmers. I was not to teach, I was not to hold prayer meetings, I was not to proclaim about the Gospel. All I had to do was to live with them for three full months. I went to the place before the start of the Christmas dawn masses, a tradition that we have here in the Philippines where people would wake up very early, before the rooster crows, to attend the daily 4:00 o’clock mass. The dawn masses would start nine days before Christmas. I stayed with a big family of 17 children. Although I have always thought of going to remote areas to do missionary work I was uncomfortable being with a big family and having to share a bed with one of the children. It was Christmas, I was very far away from my home and my family, I was not used to their culture, their food, their almost everything. But I stayed and it was a grace-filled three months for me.

Those three months was a struggle for me to be far away from home with no friends or relatives to speak of. But slowly I saw the goodness of the people. They were very welcoming and hospitable. They were poor but they would share whatever they have. They were proud to share the little that they have with no qualms or signs of sadness. They were poor farmers but they were happy. They have plenty of children but they were happy. They are barely educated but they were happy. They were poor in my eyes and to the rest of the world but they do not show it in their smiling faces.

I'm having trouble writing down my thoughts after reading the Author Notes and the Introduction. I'm trying to keep it short and concise, ... and apolitical. The Introduction though tells me that the situation is brought about completely because of politics, and nothing but politics. The closer I get to the "deadline" for sharing our thoughts, the more frustrated I feel.

Maybe that is why God brought me to the group, because I can honestly say I don't know how I found it. I was "soul searching" on the internet, looking for a path.
God gave me a path that I can relate to, now I just need to figure out the "why". I'm sure the signs are here, somewhere. I just need to learn to recognize them.

I need to sit back and take in experience Fr. Gary is offering, and try to understand the situation these people are in, and how they deal with it. It seems their faith in God, not other human beings, gets them through each day.

I have comfort in knowing that I am protected by a system of laws, with an effective enforcement mechanism should the laws get broken. These people are protected by laws, but the enforcement is unreliable. As a result their comfort comes from their faith and love of God.

I am been drawn to think about my own story..my faith story...to the people who have been and are part of that faith story...the author speaks of his journey to become a SJ...and all those who helped and directed him. I give thanks for all those who have walked with me to this day.

I recall and remember my family. Especially my parents...both dead now...but who in their way brought me to God. Also the many other friends who are always there for me.

However I am finding that I am too looking very much at my life here in South Africa. I have recently been asked to take on another role. A role which is both daunting and challenging. I am working in the HIV/AIDs ministry.

After three years I have seen alot of pain, alot of struggle, alot of death.I have visted and supported families whose lives have been affected and infected by this virus. I have seen clients who have been rejected by family members, because they have the virus...clients left to die alone...

I too have seen family members carry loved ones to clinic, in a last ditch attempt to seek help. I have seen success stories, where treatment has brought people back to life...

Why do I write this , well its simple when I read what the author says about his time in Uganda and the struggle of the people there, I am connecting with it.

The image which I have held onto all of last week is that of a 'PAIR OF SHOES'. The question...I ask myself can I walk in the shoes of another person. Can I this lent walk with different shoes. part of ..my work here in South Africa is about walking along side those who are living with the virus and with those who are caring for them.

Truth the image of a pair of shoes and walking in the shoes of another person....is daunting and challenging. Truth its abit scary....

As I approach Lent 2008, I am trying to get ready for it...I said that being one of the 50..was a new adventure..its good to see some of the people who are also part of this venture...

So finally ...my prayer is one of asking the God of Wisdom to show the way ...to show how to wear the SHOES

Anita, South Africa

"There was something going on, a movement at the door of my heart. I knew the rhythm and insistence of that knock: God seeking entrance. It was not an agitated movement, but rather one of peace." Gary Smith S.J.

"You are most welcome." Sudanese Refugees

The two statements above touched my heart the most. Here, on the day before Ash Wednesday, I too feel God calling me toward something this Lent. He must be, otherwise, I would not be taking the time to participate in this retreat. Through my human weakness and sinful nature, I often find myself letting earthly obstacles come in between what God wants from me and what I think God wants from me. Fr. Smith has succeeded in answering the Lord's call in an incredible way. As a Jesuit, he has already committed to a life of poverty, yet he makes himself available to the Lord, exposing all his vulnerabilities by putting his faith in God that this call to go to Uganda will create the opportunity to give even more than he already has to those who are in most need of our help. Amazing. If in the same situation, I would probably rationalize ten different excuses on why I shouldn't go to Uganda before giving in to God's true call. I am encouraged by Fr. Smith's faith and hope that through his journey, I may find the courage through my faith to answer God knocking at the door of my heart.
Despite all the suffering and deprivation these refugees are subjected to (physical, mental, financial...) they all seem to find comfort in their faith. Their prayers thank God for the gift of just being alive regardless of the hardships they all deal with. They may be struggling but they manage to find peace and happiness through their faith. I think in our American society it is easy for us to become bitter or jaded when life treats us cruelly. In my own experience I continue to try and accept the suffering in my life as part of my "journey" growing closer to Jesus. I try to accept life's challenges while being able to smile daily no matter what type of day I am having, good or bad, happy or sad and say thank you God for all you do for me. I fail at doing this a lot. In the few pages I have read I can already recognize I need to be more thankful to God for being right where I am at this moment in time. I hope that I can become like the Sudanese in expressing their happiness and thanks to God and to others by saying "you are most welcome". I hope I can succeed in visualizing myself in these camps with Fr. Smith reaching out to those I encounter, truly embracing what God has called us to do, "to love one another" and to imitate Ignatius in his response to God's call, "to give and not to count the cost". I pray God will enable me to give me the grace to respond to His call this Lenten season. AMDG.

In the beginning of Gary's story I was touched by his listening as Ignatius taught. I found I was listening to a true son of Ignatius. Gary spoke to my heart about what it means to be attracted to Jesus in the Gospels and in Eucharist. He was passionate as was Teilhard deChardin about Eucharist. Many years separated the two of them. I have only just begun reading but a part of me yearns to do this kind of ministry. However at 80 I know that I don't have the health for it but using the immagination as taught in the Exercises I can enter the cosmos and send my support to those who minister to the refugees, the homeless, the addicted of this world as well as the children.

I noticed Gary spends time in discerning God's call. I was also touched by the prayer of gratitude of the refugees in spite of heartbreaking personal deprivations. What a gift this Lent is offering. Thank you.

Fr. Gary’s story of the call that led him to Uganda touched me as I realized that it was one of a series of calls within his vocation as a priest. After years of ministry, he was open to receiving yet another call in a different direction. His story reminds me that God is continually creating us and drawing us to himself. I pray that I may become more attentive to the ways that God calls me and that I will trust, in the author’s words, that “God will disclose what I am to be”.

Jean, Lancaster, England

But….I still await to discover the “unfolding mystery of my life”. I believe nothing is coincidence and that the Lord helped me respond to this commitment to write reflections as I read the book. It could have been any book. The grace is to commit to reflect on what the Lord is saying to me. Actually, I take back what I said about my time at home having no purpose. Since I quit my 40-hour/week job, I have been able to spend more time in prayer. I can’t imagine being able to be involved in reading this book if I were still working as an office administrator.

Therefore, as we approach Lent this year, I pray that the rest of my life be one of “gratitude for the simplest of gifts, for being alive” and for the gift of faith our Lord has so lovingly given me. It is much easier for me to be nice to the less fortunate(in fact, the first three weeks of Lent, I will be in the Philippines organizing and funding a feeding of more than 1000 kids in the slum area near where I lived until 1984). Yet, it is difficult for me to be patient with my own family. May this experience of reading, reflecting and sharing humble me and help me to be a lot more patient with my family.

The brief, concise explanation of the history of the wars in the area and the diversity of the Refugee Camps is appreciated and I'm sure will be beneficial in the future.

Father's description of the people, their joy, varied topics of discussions, and gratitude brings into focus the thought that the more we acquire, the less aware of and even the thought of, true gratitude enters into our lives.

I have never seen or lived in a refugee camp. I have never directly interacted with refugees from East Africa. For some reason God, at this particular time in my life, has connected me with two young women who have been to Uganda. First hand, they have experiences with the refugees. For me, both are a living grace! Through them I feel God nudging me during these days of Lent to enter into uncharted waters, to immerse myself in the mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. I beg God that I may be open to receive whatever God desires as I journey with the refugees.

As I began reading the book, certain phrases jumped off the pages: “. . . . a portrait of refugee hearts. . . . what they gave me. . . . a story of mission . . . . the awareness of the world’s cry for help . . . . challenged to break open the Gospel in a new way . . . . face my strengths and my shortcomings once again . . . . a story about people who taught me the meaning of love.”

It was difficult for me to open They Came Back Singing. I felt that these children were saying something to me and I knew that with their stories and God’s help, this would be the Lent I have always wanted. For me, Lent has always started with a lot of good intentions and fizzled by the third week. Things would pick up during Holy Week but it seemed that I had missed something. Not so this year.

Mary - Joliet, Illinois, US

I’m embarrassed and ashamed to admit this, but I have never thought of refugees of any kind as having a heart. I’ve seen their terrible plight and anguish in so many different countries and have prayed for them as I watched scenes on the nightly news or in the newspaper, but I never let their situation really touch my heart. I saw their lives as distinctly separate from mine. For several days after reading that first sentence, the awareness that these refugees are fellow human beings has been slowly entering my being. I feel God calling me to “be” with the poor in a different way – to see the poor as He sees them. We are all His children. And He calls me “to attend to and understand the broad and benevolent movements of (my) heart.” I pray that his will happen this Lent.
Rita - Allentown, PA, US

Second, the expression you are most welcome has stayed with me. Is this not the same invitation we are extended each time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist? Is it not the invitation we extend to Jesus to enter our hearts every day and especially this Lenten season? I pray during this retreat that our hearts be opened to the refugee in all of us, our ears attentive to the Lord’s calling, and our voices be heard as we hold in prayer, refugees around the world.

Susan, South Holland, IL, US