BURUNDI, Fr. Deogratias Maruhukiro. Sunday, February 7, 2010, was a very special day at Mount Zion Gikungu. The presence of many religious and sisters, who had arrived on pilgrimage, could be observed. Precisely every year, the Church commemorates the worldwide conference of consecrated life on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Religious and sisters throughout the world prepare for this celebration, and they renew their commitment to religious life; it is an occasion to recall the foundation and the basis of consecrated life.
As Pope John Paul II said:. “The evangelical basis of consecrated life is to be sought in the special relationship which Jesus, in his earthly life, established with some of his disciples. He called them not only to welcome the Kingdom of God into their own lives, but also to put their lives at its service, leaving everything behind and closely imitating his own way of life.” (Cfr. Vita consecrata, post-synodal exhortation of John Paull II No. 14).
The religious and the sisters of the city of Bujumbura had prepared for this worldwide conference with a novena in all the communities, that concluded with a recollection and homily by Father Déogratias Maruhukiro about the subject of a common priesthood. In this Year for Priests in which the Schoenstatt Family celebrates Father Kentenich’s centennial of priesthood, there was an opportunity to speak about Father Kentenich and his thinking about the priesthood. More than 400 religious and sisters from different communities Bujumbura of attended these conferences on the Friday and Saturday before the great day of pilgrimage. As our Founding Father said, “A priest is he who is chosen, consecrated, and sent forth to build bridges between God and men.”
Chosen, consecrated and sent forth
Departing from this, the religious or the sisters, through their Baptism and their vows are also “chosen, consecrated, and sent forth” In conclusion, the common priesthood consists of coming from the unique priesthood of Christ. In this homily, the priest stressed three important dimensions of the priesthood, that of:
-
Holiness: The religious and the sisters are invited to be everyday saints to respond to present day challenges. On this subject, Father Kentenich was our teacher in thinking about Everyday Sanctity. Religious or sisters are those who through everyday sanctity reflect the face of God in the midst of life.
-
The prophetic dimension: The religious or sisters are those who like the prophet Jeremiah heard that voice: “Then the Lord extended his hand and touched my mouth saying, ‘See, I place my words in your mouth! This day I set you over nations and over kingdoms, To root up and tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant.'” (Jer. 1:9-10). The prophetic mission of the religious or sisters is to not to be afraid to give witness of the Lord even in the most delicate situations. The times that we are living in, therefore, surely invite us to be prophets of our time to make the face of God always visible and accessible in our era.
-
Heroic Fraternity: The religious and sisters are invited to live in a community. Community life is school of holiness that demands going beyond the “I” and the “you” to rise to the sphere of a communal “us”. This is not about a mass “us”; rather, a communal “us” respecting each face, each person in their originality, of difference or of richness, so that each one is accepted just as he/she is without being obligated to wear a mask in order to be respected. It is about an ideal community, which is “not impossible to attain” rather it is possible to build with the grace of the Lord because “for nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk. 1:37). It is a heroic fraternity, that is, one gives himself for others, that he allows others to grow, that they accept their limitations and confess their sins; it will always seem impossible to build an ideal community or better yet to build the kingdom of God here on earth!
Large pilgrimage to the Shrine
The recollection of the religious and the sisters of Bujumbura concluded with a large pilgrimage of all the religious and sisters to the Mount Zion Shrine of Gikungu. No one missed this date. There were more than 800 religious and Sisters with multicolored habits representing the diversity of the communities. Happiness was easily reflected on the different faces illuminated by the candles that the religious and the sisters held in their hands, a sign of their commitment to be witnesses of Christ, Light of the World. (John 5: 9)
The Archbishop of Bujumbura presided at the liturgical ceremonies, and in his homily, he recalled the challenges of the consecrated life that is to live to make the image of God shine in the world. You must dare to do what others do not dare “n’umuswa warigeze ibuye” or until the termites gnaw away a stone…” that he stressed more than once!
The Apostolic Nuncio was also present during these ceremonies, which gave a special touch to this conference. In effect, it was the Pope himself, who was present through his representative in Burundi. In his speech, the Nuncio recalled that he was nothing more than the voice of the Holy Father that is how he transmitted a message from the Pope about the consecrated life!
Praying for the time of elections
The liturgical ceremonies concluded with a fraternal agape meal, which was shared at the Queen of Confidence Center of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary.
It was suggested to pray especially for this time of elections. We would like to Light our candles and walk together to pray for peace and reconciliation in our country, and most especially for the next elections. Undoubtedly this is an initiative that will be an eloquent sign, but a date for this initiative has not been set.
I cannot conclude without expressing my gratitude to everyone who made this conference such a success. May God bless every religious and sister all over the world.
Translation: Celina Garza, San Antonio/ Melissa Janknegt, Elgin, USA
