Author: ANTONINO

A PRICELESS PLASTIC ROSARY

Last week I was walking with a colleague of mine in the downtown of Funchal. We both need and deserve physical exercise. After stopping for a fewm oments to contemplate the ocean I was distracted y a young homeless man doing something that brought my curiosity. He would look very close to the pavement and then would bend down and pick up something that after being analyzed was thrown back to the pavement again.

It didn’t take too much time to discover that he was searching for lost coins.

It’s always disturbing for me to see a human being whom we Christians call Jesus, depending on lost coins to survive. I left my friend and approached the man. Politely I asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee. Of course he said yes. I dropped all my coins in his hands and we started a nice conversation.

His name was Pedro and he was suffering from epilepsy. The night before he had suffered an epileptic crisis. He lost his senses and instead of calling the ambulance somebody stole whatever he had.
Before, I used to think that the homeless people formed a «community» of friends. Maybe there are a few friends who help one another but what I suspect is that they consider themselves adversaries of each other and they compete for the «best» garbage cans and the best donors who treat them with compassion.

After spending some time sharing a few ideas and learning from one another I decided to say good bye. When I was ready to leave, Pedro took from his pocket a small plastic rosary and said:
«this is for you».

«But»…I stuttered «Maybe you would like to have it. Maybe you would need it». – I said.

But his answer was «I have another one». I never told him that I was a Catholic or that I was a Priest. I am wondering what made Pedro think that I was going to appreciate that rosary.

Now I have with me a «cheap» plastic rosary that for me is a priceless gift from a homeless brother.

Love and Peace

Fr. Bernardino Andrade,

1.

When Jesus told the story of a Samaritan helping a Jew everyone was shocked. A Samaritan outcast helping a Jew? Impossible! «Good Samaritan» would have sounded like a bad joke – a contradiction in terms. The parable was an invitation for Jews to love Samaritans and Samaritans to love Jews. It’s an invitation of all times to love their enemies.

– to love those they have previously hated.

In this story told by Jesus we don’t see the word «good». I believe that this was an embarrassing story to be told. It reminds me of a person who was telling me that she had a black family as her neighbour but they were «good». When somebody tells me that «my boss is Portuguese but he is a good person»

I understand the message. I believe that when the people heard this story of a Samaritan helping a Jew they started looking at one another and sharing some comments, like «did you hear what he said?». And the answer was: «Yes, but this Samaritan was good». And through the centuries this amazing and beautiful story has been told millions of times but it was not about a «normal» Samaritan. It was about a «Good Samaritan».

You may try to think about the worst derogatory name you can call any person in the time of Jesus. You will not be able to find a more derogatory name than calling him/her a Samaritan. Oh… but this Samaritan was «good». For Jesus he was just a normal Samaritan. But for them he was the symbol of the lowest person who existed. He was an enemy helping an enemy. That would be unthinkable.

However, this Jewish man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a Priest and a Levite happened to be travelling the same road. They saw him,they passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds…He then lifted him on his mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him.

He did everything he could to alleviate his suffering and heal his wounds. When Jesus asked the Pharisees which one of the three had been his neighbour, they answered:

«The man who took care of him?» Then Jesus says: «Go and do the same yourself». (Lk. 10: 25-37).

2.

MY SISTER AND TWO SAMARITAN WOMEN

When I was growing up there were no cars in my place of birth. Everybody had to walk to move from one place to another place. It was Sunday morning. My older sister, Conceição, was walking side by side with other good people who were going to attend their Sunday Mass. Of course, nobody wanted to miss Mass. It was Sunday.

Something happened on the way there. My sister fell and broke her foot. Many people passed by her but they could not miss Mass. She stayed there agonizing in pain. As good Catholics, everybody felt sorry for her but they could not miss Mass.

Fortunately, my younger sister, Eulalia, was already in church when this happened. Somebody approached her and said: “Your sister fell, she is alone and cannot walk. It seems that she has a broken foot”. My younger sister flew there immediately and then, later she told me: «When I arrived there, these two women were taking care of her». She told me their names. These two women were the most despised people of the community. They had a very bad moral reputation. Nobody wanted to associate with them. People were not even supposed to greet them or look at them. Listening to this story I feel like asking the same question Jesus asked:

«Which of these people do you think proved him/herself a neighbour to my sister Conceição who fell and broke her foot»?

And then conclude:

«Go, and do the
same yourself». (Luke 10: 25-37)

Love and Peace
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

St. Vincent de Paul used to say that «When you give alms to the poor you should give them in such a way that the poor would forgive you for giving them alms».

It is well known that the world has enough resources to allow its inhabitants to live with dignity, especially free from hunger and all illnesses related with poverty.

For about one week I had the privilege of having two special visitors from Mozambique: my former student Thelma and her son Lutchi. I met Thelma when she was eleven years old. And from her childhood Thelma always expressed her revolt against poverty and social injustices. But her revolt was more evident when she saw her father being arrested and spending two years in a political prison for «committing the crime» of expressing his opinion against the Portuguese colonialism in Africa.

It was during this visit that she talked with me about a loving and revolutionary program to combat poverty. It is about a business whose owner shares with development programs 90% of his profit. I asked her to please share with our Community the basics of this business.

Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Dignity, Love and Community coming together with Excellence!

Sunshine Nut Co. makes the World´s best cashews to make the Worldbetter. It is owned by Donald Larson and family (Americans) who are living in Mozambique for the last 10 years.

They donate 90% of distributed profits to Sunshine Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sunshine Nut Co., to transform lives in Mozambique.

• Community Care – helping the community to expand their production area and paying a fair price for
  their cashews. Health care services, education, skill training and other activities will be added.
• Job Creation – construction of various small and medium sized factories that create jobs. The
  cashews are roasted and packed in Mozambique. They have an exceptional taste and extraordinary
  quality.

• Orphans and vulnerable women – “Sunshine houses” are being built to create new protected families composed of 1 mother (widow or vulnerable woman) who «adopts» 5 or 6 orphan children that are fully taken care of with the profits of the sale of Sunshine Cashews.

WEBSITE: www.sunshinenuts.com

VIDEO in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd2MBv8VNfgIf

If you would like to be part of this love project, a) you may donate to the Sunshine Foundation through the website above or b) if you want to promote and sell Sunshine cashews contact us at the following:

emails: thelma.venichand@gmail.com copy: lutchiklint@gmail.com

From our hearts inMozambique to your hearts Worldwide!

Thelma Elizabeth Venichand
& Lutchi Klint

It was June 12th, 1965, in a football field of the City and Diocese of Quelimane, Mozambique, very very far away from Madeira Island, my home land. My Bishop imposed his hands over my head, anointed my hands, and I became a priest forever. It was the day of my Priestly Ordination. Not counting the day of my Baptism, there is no doubt that the day of my Ordination was the most special day of my life.

After the Mass of my ordination, the Bishop, who always treated me like a son, asked me to give him a special blessing. The same thing happened with Father Vasco and Father Benjamim, two other priests who were ordained during the same ceremony. It was a very emotional and special moment… except for one thing. I am a member of a large family. Together we were thirteen members: my father, my mother and eleven brothers and sisters including me. But not one of them was present at my Ordination.

Only three weeks later, on July 4th, 1965, in my home Parish in Ponta do Sol, after travelling from Mozambique to Madeira, surrounded by my family, many friends, many neighbours and many Parishioners, I celebrated my First Mass in Madeira Island. Exactly in the same church where I had been baptized, received my First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

On the day of my first Mass, one of the most touching moments for me happened just before leaving to go to Church. It really was not part of my plans. My mother called me to her bedroom, closed the door, and asked me to hear her Confession and give her Absolution. She did this in such a natural away as if she had done this during her entire life. I was nervous but she was not. She knew that I was a priest and she knew that I could give her Absolution and say «Your sins are forgiven. Go in Peace». I was not ready for this. I almost felt like asking God: «Lord, can I do this? Do I have to do this?». I sat down on her bed, my mother knelt before me and together we had one of the most special celebrations of the Sacrament of Reconciliation of my entire life. After that it became normal for my mother and my father to come to me for Confession every time I visited them on holiday.

Sometimes she would come to Confession and after that she would call my father to come to Confession too. Then I would tell her: «Mother, you don’t know if he wants». Her answer was: «Of course he wants». And then she would call my father again and tell him: «Manuel, come. Bernardino is waiting». And I had no choice, but I was not sure if my father also had no choice. But maybe it was his choice, because even after my mother died, he continued coming to me for Confession.

This was on the fourth of July of 1965. This was 57 years ago. I am not sure if I have been a good priest but one thing I know: I have been a very happy priest. And everything started when I was 12 years old, and my sister, Agostinha, asked me: «Bernardino! Wouldn’t you like to be a priest?» and I said «Yes». And that YES has been, and will be, repeated for the rest of my life.

Love & Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade