1. From My Heart to Your Heart by Father Bernadino

Hello my Brothers and Sisters.

I am supposed to talk to you about my Uncle, Father Bernardino, but in these recent days, I’ve heard so many amazing testimonies from so many of you, that I fear I have very little to add. I could tell you he had a golden heart and a willingness to put others before him, but you already know that. I could tell you he had a contagious laughter and could raise the spirits on any occasion, but I think you know that too. I could tell you that he brought out the best in the people around him, but yeah, nothing new there.

So instead, I would like to delve with you, about one of the most significant lessons he imparted to me.

I recently discovered that there are multiple interpretations of one of my uncle’s favorite biblical stories: “The Good Shepherd”.

I thought there was only one interpretation. The one my Uncle taught me. The one that I believe is the foundation that permeated all of his philosophy and beliefs.

In John 10 14-15 Jesus says, “I am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
You see, some interpretations focus on Jesus as the Shepherd, and us as the sheep. In other words, all we need to do, is revere our Shepherd, and passively leave the flock in his hands. But as you probably know, my Uncle had a different vision about many of Jesus’ teachings.

You see, as many people do, my Uncle believed that Jesus was not simply our Savior, he was also a reference, a guide. He came to us to teach us how to navigate God’s creation.

You know the phrase “What would Jesus do?”? That phrase was his compass.

So for him, this story wasn’t about finding safety in Jesus embrace, it was about recognizing how anyone can be the sheep, but anyone can also be the Shepherd. For him, this story was about how despite some sheep being terribly annoying, some noisy, some even smelly, some weak, or hurt, or lost, we are all in the same flock, we are all family. A big family for sure, but a real true family, and as the “great poet” Stitch said, Ohana means family, and in a family, no one is left behind.

In Luke 15, on the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus makes exactly this point: even with 100 sheep in your care, if one is weak, lost, afraid, a Shepherd is always ready to find her, bring her back to safety and nurture her back to health.

We are all sheep in this huge flock, and we are all our brothers and sisters Shepherds, and we should never, ever, leave anyone behind, especially the ones that are more fragile.

So to bring this interpretation home, i’d like to read you another passage from Mathew 25 on the Sheep and the Goats:
“He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

And here, against any other interpretation, he is directly saying that the sheep, were also the shepherds of their brothers and sisters.

There is a saying in Portuguese that roughly translates as “He who kisses my children, sweetens my lips”. I think God would like that saying.

I apologize for turning this into a sermon rather than a more traditional eulogy about my uncle’s life, but I’m confident he would appreciate that my tribute to him centers on his favorite teaching: “we were put here to love” – “We were put here for each other”. Think about it, without love and care for each other, we would all die alone.

And you know it’s true because we do love, and we do care for each other. The hard part is caring for those sheep that are too noisy for our delicate ears, or too smelly for our nose, or too weak for all the work they give us, or too lost for our comfort. Fr. Bernardino would argue that those are precisely the ones that need the Shepherd’s guidance the most.

So I challenge you to ask: “how can I bring safety to my fearful brother? How can I guide my lost sister? How can I nurture my weakened family? How can I be the Shepherd that works for a better flock?”.

Of course this doesn’t mean that you should always be looking for ways to intervene, nor spend your life in service of others the way my Uncle and many others did and do, but at the very least, if you find any of those hurting sheep, don’t turn away. Just ask that very, very simple question: How can I help?

If you do that, I promise you there will be one very happy Bernardino up there, thanking you for being your brother’s shepherd.

—————————————————————————————

WHO SPILLED THE COFFEE?
I was conducting a Bible class to a group of parishioners. They had planned that, each day, one of them would bring a cake and a pot of coffee to be shared after the class. The meeting had ended and people were gathering their things. In this moment I heard something, I looked and saw coffee on the floor. Being very «righteous» I looked and the first thing that came to my mouth was a question: «Ho… who spilled that coffee? ».

When I asked the question there was a lady already cleaning the floor. Without raising her head, she answered:
«Father, now we don’t ask who spilled the coffee. Now we clean it».
Today´s gospel reminds me of the story of the «spilled coffee».
«As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him:
«Rabi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind? » (Jo. 9: 1-2)

I heard many years ago a conference delivered by the captain of an Airlines Company. And one thing that I never forgot was what he said about «blaming». He said that this society will be remembered as the «blaming society». If something goes wrong, very often the first reaction is not
to solve the situation. If something goes wrong the first reaction is to find whom to blame. It seems that the normal reaction should be: «What can I do to solve this problem?» or «What can I do to help»? But the most common reaction is: «Who did that»? «Whose fault is it»? «I am glad I was not there. They cannot blame me». «Who spilled the coffee? ». «Who sinned?
In this story of the blind man, it seems that there was a conspiracy to hurt and humiliate Jesus and to hurt and humiliate the blind man. It seems that the first reaction should be of compassion for the blind man. Besides he was not just blind but also very poor. He was a beggar. The second reaction should be of joy and celebration. They had all the reasons to celebrate and rejoice.  A member of their community whom they knew very well had been blind duringa ll his life and now by Jesus’ intervention he can see.
«It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. »
2.
THE WORST BLINDNESS IS TO HAVE EYES AND NOT SEE
I was driving my car, with two ladies inside, in one of the busiest streets of Funchal. It was 2PM on one of the hot summer days. It was very very hot. On the sidewalk there was a man sleeping under that sun, covered with a heavy coat. One of the ladies said: «Look at that man laying down
under this hot sun». And then she added:
«But nobody stops. Nobody stops. They don’t even look at him. They don’t even see him».
We all have blind spots that prevent us from paying attention to the human tragedies, and all
kinds of human suffering. LORD HELP ME TO SEE.

Love and Peace
Fr. Bernardino Andrade Andrade

A NAP, A CUP OF COFFEE, CONFESSION AND TODAY´S MASS
1.

The «mountain top» experience of my life in Africa was the experience of organizing and conducting retreats for the youth and smaller groups of children. In May of 1966 we started a small group of young adults that we called «Juvenile Center». The group started with twelve boys and girls. All of them were working in different professions. Then students started joining them and pretty soon the group was a large group of different ages. Then the Juvenile Center started growing, up to the point of being able to mobilize the entire city of Quelimane, which is not a big city. There were always different activities happening and those activities created among them a sense of community.

2.

Retreats were the main event that used to congregate boys and girls for three days in a retreat house for prayer, meditation, silence and adoration. In all retreats the main theme was the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
«If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you «give me a drink» you would have asked Him and he would have given you living water. » (Jo. 4:10).

This was the highest event of each retreat.

«If you knew the gift of God…» Conducting this meditation my concern was to put in their hearts and their minds that this «Gift of God» was something very real. It was not just an idea or a feeling. This gift of God had the power to transform their lives. This was the moment when many of them changed their lives and started a new relationship with God. This Gift of God was an exciting gift that changed many lives during the retreats.

3.

Because I was aware of this responsibility, every time I conducted a retreat, I used to prepare it very well. Like as if it were the first time. There were three tools that I used to prepare this meditation: a nap, a cup of coffee and Confession. I wanted to be sure that I was not tired. That’s why,before the meditation, I used to do anything to take some time for a nap. I wanted to be rested and full of energy. The other thing was to drink a cup of coffee. I believed (I don’t know if it was true) that a cup of coffee would help me to be awake. One third thing was to look for a priest, and have a good Confession. I wanted to be full of that «Gift» Jesus is talking about. With these three «crutches» I was usually on fire and I started talking about the «Gift of God» Jesus was talking about with the woman at the well.

This «Gift of God» is offered to each one of us today during this Holy Mass where we all heard the Gospel of the encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman who was considered an outcast. But that «Gift of God» performed a miracle. She became a missionary who
brought many people to Jesus.

Fr. Bernardino Andrade 12-03-2023

It was two o’clock in the afternoon of a very hot month of August… I was driving through one of the busiest streets of Funchal with two passengers. On one side of the street, we noticed a man lying down covered with a heavy coat, consequently a very hot coat. Hot day, hot hour and a heavy and hot coat…. the worst combination to offer protection and comfort to a human being on a hot day and in a busy and noisy street.

One of the ladies riding with me, seeing that scene said: «Look! It’s a man sleeping at this time under this very hot sun. It must be horrible». And then she added: «And people don’t even look at him». Many people were constantly passing by. But they didn´t look at him. «That scene was too insignificant. That scene didn’t deserve the attention of anybody. It looked more like a piece of garbage and, by the way, if that man was lying down at this hour in that place he must be a drunkard or a drug addict. It´s his fault and he didn’t deserve attention». I am pretty sure that no one said:

«That man is my brother. What can I do for him?».

I learned long time ago that the opposite of love is not hatred. The opposite of love is indifference. Pope Francis calls it the «Terrorism of Indifference».

The Gospel of today’s Mass (Luke 16: 19-31) is for me one of the most disturbing Gospels of the
liturgical year. It´s the story of two men. One is just called «a rich man». The other one was identified by a «poor man called Lazarus». The rich man used to «dress in fine linen and feast magnificently every day». The poor man called Lazarus covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table, lay at his door. Both died. The poor man called Lazarus went to Heaven. The rich man was condemned to hell. The rich man was not condemned for being rich. The rich man was condemned for being indifferent to the suffering of the poor man.

What is disturbing is that the Gospel doesn’t say that the rich man did anything wrong. It doesn’t say that the rich man insulted or hurt Lazarus or even sent him away. The rich man was condemned not for being rich but because he was indifferent to the suffering of another human being. He was condemned because he did nothing to alleviate the suffering of another human being.

«The opposite of love is not hatred. The opposite of love is indifference».

How important is the suffering of other people in my life? What can I do to alleviate it?

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

– by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
 
THE «WEDDING RING» IN PORTUGUESE

1.- WATER WAS TRANSFORMED INTO WINE:
The Bible begins with one wedding (Adam and Eve in the Garden, Gen. 2: 23-24), and ends with another Wedding (The marriage supper of the lamb (Rev. 19:9, 21: 9, 22:17). Throughout the Bible, Marriage is the symbol of the Covenant relationship between God and His chosen people.
Today, (16/01/2022) the second Sunday of the ordinary time C, the Gospel (Jo. 2:1-11) presents us the first sign, or the first miracle of all miracles that Jesus performed during his public life. Jesus, His mother and His disciples had been invited to a wedding. But at certain point the wedding party ran out of wine. The situation was confusing and embarrassing. Mary brought the problem to Her Son and the miracle happened. Six stone water jars were transformed into six stone wine jars.

2.- INVITE JESUS AND MARY:
When I was in the USA I had the privilege of watching, many times, the «Tonight Show» hosted by Johnny Carson. Actually, he hosted this famous daily show for over 30 years. One night he was interviewing an eight-year-old boy. The young boy was asked to appear on the Late Show because he had rescued two friends from a coal mine outside his home town in West Virginia. As Johnny questioned him it became apparent that the boy was a Christian. Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school. When the boy said he did, Johnny inquired: «What are you learning in Sunday School? ». «Last week, the boy replied, our lesson was about how Jesus went to a Wedding and turned water into wine». The audience burst into laughter and applause. Keeping a straight face, Johnny asked: «And what did you learn from that story?» The boy squirmed in his chair. It was apparent he hadn’t thought about this. But then he lifted up his face and said: «If you are going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus and Mary». And this is precisely the message of today’s gospel: Make sure you invite Jesus and Mary wherever you live and wherever you go. They are the only ones you’ll ever need. In other words, today’s Gospel lesson is about the sufficiency of Jesus in our lives and the power of Jesus’ Mother’s intercession.

3.- THE «WEDDING RING» IN PORTUGUESE:
During my 56 years as a priest, I wish I could count how many weddings I have performed. Unfortunately, I don’t have any records of them. But I can say that they have been a lot in different countries and different cultures and religions. All of them have a tradition of exchanging rings as a profound symbol of love and fidelity. All of them are called (in their languages) «wedding rings». Except in the Portuguese culture. In the Portuguese culture they are called «alianças» which means «COVENENT». That is the «only theme of the Bible – «I AM YOUR GOD, YOU ARE MY PEOPLE».
16/01/2022

The Sacrament of Matrimony is the symbol of the passion that God has for His people

Fr. Bernardino Andrade

MASS SPECIAL INTENTION – Florinda Da Silva Gouveia

Today’s Mass intention is in memory of Florinda Da Silva Gouveia, w