Dear Friends,

  Another posting on this blog site after only three days??!!  Anyway, much is happening and I will try to describe some of it.
  Today the last day of April happens to be the feast day of Mary, Our Lady, Mother of Africa.  Wow, I am impressed!  There is, I am told, a large church or basilica in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria, that honors her under this title.   It overlooks the bay in the port of that city, which is on the Mediterranean Sea.  What amazes me is that many Muslim women come to that church to pray and to ask her to pray for their families, etc. Perhaps you know that Mary is mentioned four times in the Quran.  Muslims honor Jesus as a great prophet and also his mother.  Anyway, this morning we had about 15 or 16 crammed into our little chapel for our usual 7 AM mass.  There were Jesuits and nuns who work here at the retreat center in attendance, also some young Jesuit priests engaged in the six-month program called tertianship (3rd phase of formation for Jesuits) plus their director.  I quickly looked around the room to notice on this feast day the nationalities of those present:  an 88 year old Indian leading the mass, then three other Indian priests who are full time staff members here at the retreat center, one Tanzanian, numerous Kenyans, one from the Congo, one from Rwanda, two from Ireland, and then myself, the one American. Only God could bring this off!

   Then I was very taken by the framed picture high on the wall behind the priest leading the mass.  It is a striking depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, a black, African Jesus nailed dead to the cross.  Then a black Madonna  in beautiful blue wrapping her arms around the legs of her son and with her head bowed down. Behind her is an African woman, Mary the sister of Jesus' mother. She wears a bubushka on her head, typical of many women in this culture.  In front of the cross and genuflecting is another African woman with head covered by a bubushka.  It is obviously Mary Magdalene. Off to the left and looking up at the dead Christ with quiet awe is a handsome, young, tall African man, obviously John the Apostle, the Beloved disciple of Jesus.  The priest who led the mass read a short saying about all the religious orders of priests and nuns who had come to Africa since 1869, a very impressive missionary outreach, and how the tradition of Mary, Mother of Africa, began with the White Fathers and Sisters, Europeans who came to begin the church in new parts of this continent. What he read referred to Africa as "the forgotten continent."  I felt just short of overwhelmed to be there at that moment and to get in touch with the truth that this part of the world is for so many in the world not very significant or interesting; it is seen as strange, a place to be feared and yes, looked down on as "primitive.".   The picture said to me something of what is going on here, the ongoing crucifixion of Christ's Body, yet some remarkable instances of Christ being raised up.  I get to hear some of the stories of this resurrection happening in the retreatants I get to guide. (The invisible is more real than the visible!!)  As I have said before, I get to hear conversations that are profound in terms of what God does in these people.  This is the basis of endless hope that the Power that is moving these good people will prevail in the midst of situations that can discourage those who are not that connected to Christ.  In looking at the picture of the crucifixion  I was taken in my thoughts to the providence of God in bringing all of us together in that chapel this morning--from Africa and many other parts of the world.  Why us?  Why US??  Only God really knows.  What a privilege for me to be a small part of such a powerful thing God is doing on this beautiful, poverty ridden and pain-filled continent of very impressive, resilient, strong people.

  Then yesterday it was my turn to lead the 5:15 PM mass for the retreatants.  It was the feast day of a remarkable 14th century woman, Catherine of Siena, Italy. (1447-1380 AD)  Yes, she lived only 33 years, as  long as Jesus lived.    (A belated happy name-feast to all of you in the Manresa family with the name of Catherine, Kathleen, Kathy, or Kate, etc  What a privilege to have that name for your own!)  For me there was a happy coincidence of her feast day landing on the same day the Gospel reading was from John, chapter 3, verses 7-15.  In the last line or two of that reading  Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." Jesus has been talking with Nicodemus, the Pharisee, and was explaining that he (and all of us) need to be reborn in the Spirit; we need to be opened up to the inner world of God, to the invisible, to the depths of our own spiritual capacities, to come alive and see what we have been blind to, to hear God speaking in the midst of the din of our overly busy world that won't permit itself to be quiet and open our souls to what we have been thirsting for, to the gifts of God we are made for.  I made the point that Jesus in his reference to His being lifted up is telling us how to allow this miracle of grace to happen in us:  to look upon the One who has been lifted up for us, Jesus crucified, nailed and pierced for each of us.  We are encouraged to gaze at Him, to really look at Him in that situation, to stay looking at Him for quite some time, and when we are ready to enter into His side with all that is going on in our life. (Like St. Thomas the Apostle did in last Sunday's Gospel reading.)  And this is where I saw the connection with Catherine of Siena.  She says that God the Father had said to her in the depths of her prayer:  "I have allowed His side to be pierced in order to reveal the secret of His Heart, which I have made a hidden refuge where you are permitted to see and to taste the ineffable love which I have for you."  Oh my!!

  I added that the great men and women teachers of prayer and remarkable Christians have found the wellspring of their spiritual growth in spending generous amounts of time gazing at Him crucified and hanging there for them, then in entering into His depths and bringing their whole self, burdens, hopes, joys and all, into His Heart. The Passion of Christ is the privileged place for great spiritual growth.  We truly are reborn in the Spirit when we are faithful to this kind of prayer, making time with Jesus and the father the priority of our day.  Then I quoted a line from Catherine, something Mary McKeon drew to my attention, about what happens to us when we make Him the center of our attention:  St. Catherine says, "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire.  Let the truth (of His deep love for you) be your delight, and then proclaim it . . ." (in all the ways you live out your day, in the way you are with people and with your own self.)

   I am off to lunch.  Have a blessed May and some warm days.  Here it is sunny everyday, cool nights, mid 80s by afternoon, low humidity, clean air, flowers and pollen everywhere (and sniffles for me!)  I will see you all at the daily Eucharist.  Thanks for your friendship over the years.

Bernie Owens