HI, Friends,

   Things are acting up here.  It is almost dinner time (which is 6:45 PM) and it took me a long time to get through so I could post a new letter on this blogsite.  anyway, here I am.  This morning we finished with our more than 50 retreatants.  They all went home after being here for 8 full days, nine nights, most if not all really happy--certainly mine were, or I should say 4 of the 5 were.  I want to add a little to what I wrote two days ago about "Sister Anna," a fictitious name for one retreatant, and another one whom I guided. 

  Sister Anna explained to me that her step-mother, the second wife of her father, gave birth to ten children, not just to two as I had said earlier.  And the clan was not sure her father was the father of them all.  In any case he claimed and gave a homelife to ten children in addition to the 10 or 11 from his first wife; having many children is a sign of power and influence.  Some women like being married to a "powerful man with influence."  They like the security that comes with it, so they are comfortable being married to such a man, even if they are one of numerous wives.  Sister Anna said of her father, "More children means more votes when it comes time for being re-elected."  At the same time she said this practice is becoming less prevalent in Kenya, even though one of her brothers recently took a second wife and this evoked much criticism in the family. 

  As her retreat came to an end and as she spent the last three days on Henri Nouwen's classic, "The Return of the Prodigal Son," she came up with brilliant insights about the dynamics in the family of the two sons and their father.  She saw, by comparison, some very loving moments between herself and her father and said, "he initiated me into how to be as the father of the two sons, and this is what I now must do in my own family, in the spirit of that father.  He taught me how to father, to mother my siblings, and now I am ready to do as he taught me."   One touching memory she shared was when she was about 8 or 9 years old, she was invited by her father to go and fetch a spoon so that she could eat off the same plate he was eating from.  She said, "I  just loved to connect with my father this way."  She also related how when she shared in the family that she was joining a religious order instead of getting married, many relatives and friends came to her father and strongly counseled him not to allow her to do that.  She said he said, "the Lord gave, and the Lord takes.  Let her do what she wants to do."  She spoke with such loving gratitude for her father in that big moment in her life some 30 or so years ago.  

  So over the 8 days this woman came to so much healing , peace with and renewed love for her father who now, as she said, is in the resurrection, forgiven by the Lord.  Death ends a life but not the relationship!!  It is better than ever!  Oh, the power of reconciliation!

  Another retreatant was also a nun celebrating two weeks from now her jubilee, 25 years in her religious family  She is a nurse by profession and works largely with patients who have the HIV virus.  She is also at times a nurse on duty to tend to the babies born of HIV infected mothers.  She mentioned to me how much joy she witnesses and shares in with patients who were experiencing much improved health thanks to the anti-AIDs medicines they were taking.  "Also," she said, " so much joy in finding many of the infants to be free from the virus," even though their mothers are infected.  What was so remarkable with this impressive Kenyan nun was how God led her during her retreat to a new depth in prayer, being free to be very present to God, without thinking, imagining, or remembering . . . simply being quiet in the present moment with her eyes closed and attentive to the Lord who was so beautifully present to her.  Four times a day for about an hour each time she would pray this way and exclaimed to me, "I have never prayed this way before nor have I prayed as deeply as this has taken me."  Wow, I was so happy for her and again amazed when witnessing how powerfully God was acting in her.  It was so, so beautiful to see her this lifted up and brought this close to God.  She truly has been given the gift of contemplative prayer.  What a privilege and gift for me to witness this sacred event in her life.

  I learned at the dinner table this evening that the woman religious who was our nurse here at Mwangaza for about six months and was transferred just five weeks ago to a community near the Somali border east of here by about 250 miles, had the community living quarters for herself and fellow sisters burned to the ground.  Of course, everyone suspects pro-Al Shabaab Muslims living in that area of doing this.  We shall hear about who for sure did this in the next few days, I trust.  All the sisters were away when this happened.  None of them got hurt.  

  I have a Jesuit friend, an Austrian, who is today going to Germany for some medical help.  In the meantime he says he will be trying to get my book translated into German.  He says he knows someone who can do this.  He was with us for about 10 days and during that time read all of my book.  He loved it, especially chapter 6 on suffering and loss.   Next summer one of the Jesuits in this community will be going back to Chile for three months and plans to stop over in Madrid on his way there.  He wants to get it translated into Spanish by someone he knows in Madrid.  Wouldn't  this be nice!!

  I need to go.  Tomorrow, the 31st, is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, our founder.  He died in 1556.  What a legacy he left!!  Join me, please, in thanking God for so many blessings through the Jesuit family.  Thanks. (Oh, is the full moon  striking  in our evening's sky here!)

Bernie Owens