Dear Friends,

   Wednesday evening here, May 7, the 76th anniversary of my parents' wedding.  The more I look back on them, now both with God, I am impressed by what it takes to live marriage well.  Not that my parents always deserved a gold medal, but overall, I think it is fair to say that God was rather pleased with them, that God blessed them and made their relationship even holy in a number of ways.  I think of them often, not just on a day like this, and because as Christians we are a people of the resurrection, I firmly believe that we have access to our loved ones in the next life anytime we wish to speak with them.  Death ends a life but not the relationship.  There are times I feel their presence quite strongly and I do ask them to pray for me and the work I am doing here.  What a blessing to have that connection and make the most of it.

  Today I am into the 4th day of a set of 8-day retreats. We finish on Sunday nite, the 11th.   I have only three retreatants this round, usually I get four but sometimes I am given five.  (45 minutes each day with each of them ends up being a lot of close listening!)  One of the retreatants this round is a woman celebrating her Golden Jubilee year, 50 years as a woman religious.  Her prayer at this time is enormously blessed.  What a privilege it is for me to listen to her describe what is happening between her and God!  She talks of God being "mad with love", overwhelming her, about how humble and unsparing God is in giving her gifts upon gifts.  She said she woke up this morning and sat immobilized by love for God at the edge of her bed, only to realize that it was much more a case of God loving her intensely, not she so much loving God.  At another time of the day she said she felt  her soul was being opened up wide and wide to such a vast extent (she stretched her arms out from side to side as far as she could reach) and a very powerful river was roaring through her, so overwhelming was the love of God rushing through her, God for her and she for God. (She smiled and said, "I think I am becoming mad with love too, a love for God that is wild and boundless!")  She spoke of being betrothed by God, married by this God who has thrown discretion to the wind in loving her.  Again, I say, what a privilege it is for me to witness this, to be allowed to know such beautiful secrets of someone's soul.  I commented to her that God was truly enjoying celebrating this "golden moment" in her life, a life she and God have lived together these 50 years. I said this was not just her celebration but also God's celebration and moment of joy and gratitude to her for all the times she said 'yes' to God's invitations. I suggested her reflecting on what it must be like for God at the moment anyone of us finally arrives face to face with God forever and what immeasurable delight and joy there must be for God, like a good parent, to see any one of us, His children, come to the fullness of our earthly journey and finally arrive at the completion He has destined for us all.  "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard ... what God has prepared for those who love Him!"

   At the same time as this beauty there is the horrible story in today's newspaper about some 70 or more people dying over the weekend in and around Nairobi from drinking some "homebrew" laced with God-awful stuff.  Policemen are bribed to allow the sale of this deathly drink.  One survivor is blind because of what he drank.  Another person said the liquid had to be diluted.  By itself it could be set on fire by a match.  Can you imagine??!!  One picture on the front page showed dozens of villagers standing around a large number of corpses of people they knew from their village.

   Also, there is the sad news about bombs being set off and killing or maiming several people in the port city of Mombasa and a number of people on commuter buses on a main highway on the other side of Nairobi.  Bombs were thrown at two large buses while traveling along at 45-50 miles an hour and blew a big hole in their sides.   I have ridden in a van on that highway before, a beautifully built, modern multi-express lane highway.  It is suspected that a very small number of Somali militants are behind all of this.  Again because of the susceptibility to bribing, some border guards allow very bad characters to enter this country from Somalia.  The government official in charge of security has been given two weeks to change matters to assure protection against the bribing of border guards and police and consequent bombing of citizens in public, or else he loses his job!

  Then the situation in South Sudan, the newest nation in the world.  It borders on the northwest part of the Kenyan border.  The killings there are enough to turn your stomach.  Tribal vengeance going on there, more so than a fight over oil fields.  Revenge killings gone wild, a field day for the devil!  Corpses lying in the streets of villages, unburied and rotting in the hot sun for 3-4 weeks while dogs and vultures roam about doing you know what!  A scene from hell!

  Go Tigers!  It is fun to follow them on mlb.com.  Also, being a Lions fan (oh, what suffering and bitter disappointment over the years!)  I am quite interested in who they will draft this coming weekend.  Hope springs eternal!

    I have recently been giving generous amounts of compost to the rose bushes near the approach to the retreat center's front door.  They can be more healthy and prolific in producing blossoms.  So I decided to do something about that.  Next, I need to figure out how to kill all the aphids that suck on the roses while at the same time not use an insecticide. Maybe a strong soap and water mix sprayed on??  (Maybe some of that "homebrew"??  Just kidding!)

  Next May 15-17 I lead a two and half day workshop for the teaching faculty and staff of St. Aloysius High School of Nairobi --about 25 will participate.  I am really looking forward to doing this.  Prayers for its success, please!  Thank you so much.

Plans for next year's pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Greccio, Florence, LaVerna, San Giovani Rotondo (Padre Pio's place) are progressing.  June 1-15 of next year, leaving from Detroit.  A brochure should be available by July 1.  Anyone interested??
 
Goodnight!

Bernie Owens