1. From My Heart to Your Heart by Father Bernadino

Amos 6:1, 4-7, Ps 145:6-10,1 Tim 6:11-16, Lk 16:19-31

Amos warns both the northern kingdom, Israel, ie Samaria, and the southern kingdom, Judah, with its capital Zion or Jerusalem, that the idle rich in both kingdoms will be the first to go into exile. 40 years later, in 721 BC, Samaria was conquered, and later Judea followed into exile.
The Psalm, echoed by Mary in Luke’s Magnificat, confirms that God’s justice will prevail: the hungry will be fed, the blind given sight, but the wicked will lose out. The Gospel graphically illustrates this theme: the rich man, who is not named, asks that the poor man – who is named – Lazarus – be sent to relieve his torments in hell. Abraham tells him the rich should listen to the prophets.
Instructing Timothy how to organise the early Christian church, Paul also insists the rich should use their wealth for good deeds. Christians should ideally aspire to show all the Christian virtues as examples to all, and so witness to the truth, until our Lord Jesus Christ returns to appear in glory as King of kings. And Paul insists that only God “has immortality”: we do not simply have souls that live on after death – our creed says we believe in “the resurrection of the body”, a gift from God in which our whole person, body and soul, lives for ever.

Psalm Response: My soul, give praise to the Lord.

(Amos 6:1, 4-7, Ps 145:6-10,1 Tim 6:11-16, Lk 16:19-31)

– Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Under the umbrella of the « People Helping People » project, a new service was born at the Penha de França Chapel on the past June 12. It is called « Bread With My Brother ».

Initially it was called « The Back Door Ministry », and the goal was to offer a good hot meal to the homeless at least once a week; meals which would be provided by different restaurants. But then we thought that « Bread to My Brother » would be easier to understand. But that would mean a “we” and a “you” and not an “us” coming all together. And of course, that “we” and “you” would mean promoting social inequality. We realized that, even with good intentions, we would be building walls instead of bridges. So, finally, we made another change: the service would now be called « Bread With My Brother ».
Everyone is invited. Tourists are invited to eat with the homeless. The English speaking people are invited to eat side by side with the Portuguese speaking people. – No strings attached. No special collections, no boxes or bags passing around.
Different restaurants and different people are willing to share their food with this service that intends to bring together people from different social classes, different languages and different creeds.

  The meal is being served every Saturday in the Social Room of the Penha de França Chapel, at 1:00 PM. Please join us. If you are afraid of the homeless and the needy, please hug them like St. Francis did with the leper.

God loves you and so do I,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

– Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade

It was some years ago that I had a chance to see the movie Titanic. I read a very interesting interpretation stating that the Titanic was a religious movie. Yes. It was some years ago.
I forgot most of the movie. But there was one scene that impacted me tremendously. Too good to be forgotten. It was when Jack invited Rose to come down and join the poor migrants on their way to New York. He invited her to take part in «a real party». And it was a real party where everybody danced together, laughed together, drank together and got drunk together. It was a «real party» compared with the party of the rich where people pretended that they were having fun but where everything was predicted, rehearsed and planned. Everything needed to look right and be right, following all the rules of protocol. But I was convinced that they just pretended that they were having fun.      

     «Come and join us in a real party ». I still remember what I felt in that moment. I felt that social equality was the main ingredient of the Kingdom of God. We, all members of the human family, are invited to take part in a «real party». The more I understand the «real party» of the Titanic, the more I will understand the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, which is a real party.

On June 12th this year, we initiated a small program in our Chapel, Penha de França, to feed the homeless once a week. This is just the beginning. We called it «The Back Door Ministry». Our Mission Statement is to mobilize many restaurants to share some of their food with the homeless.

Inspired by the «real party» of the Titanic, we decided to change the name of the program and invite all those who are not homeless to join them for lunch as well. This invitation is especially addressed to all the tourists who attend the Mass in English.

     

Is it going to be a real party?  I don’t know. What I know is that it is going to be «real». You can sit side by side with the homeless and enjoy a nice meal. Maybe you will not be able to speak with them in Portuguese. Anyway, please sit with them. Maybe they will not be able to speak with you in English, but please sit by their side. Eat from the same food and drink from the same juices and the same water. Hygiene is guaranteed. Comfort… well that will depend on your heart. The new name of this program is «Bread With My Brother».

« Mobilize many restaurants to share part of their food with the homeless and their friends». Their friends will be you and I.
MOYNIHAN’S RESTAURANT will be next in line. Saturday, September 10th, at 1:00 PM, Tadhg and Sinead Moynihan will provide the lunch for «Bread With My Brother».
The place is going to be the Social Room of the Chapel Penha de França. Please join us for a «real party».

God loves you and so do I,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

– Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
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It was last Saturday, August 20th, 2016. It was my latest Wedding. Grace Farinha and Tiago Rentroia were united by the Sacrament of Matrimony. They didn’t receive the Sacrament of Matrimony like it happens with the other Sacraments. They became a Sacrament. They became a symbol, of the passion that God has for his people.

Grace’s parents, because they live in Funchal, are regular attendants of the Sunday English Mass at the Chapel of Penha de França, where they are very active.
A few weeks before the Wedding Day we had a few meetings, not mainly to prepare for the Wedding Day, but to prepare for their Married Life. The ceremony lasts a few hours. The Sacrament lasts forever. In our meetings, I gave them some home work. I asked them to please write three love letters to each other, trying to answer these three questions:

1 – Think about a couple you most admire in your life and you would like to take as a role model for your married life. Please write the qualities you most admire in them, that you would like to imitate in your own family.

2 – Share with each other the fears (if any) that you feel by embarking on this new adventure of living with each other, knowing that it is for the rest of your life.

3 – Share with each other your dreams and your hopes that you feel by embarking on this new adventure of living with each other, knowing that it is for the rest of your life.

Their answers to questions number 2 and 3, I invited them to keep and to dialogue with each other in private, unless they felt that they would like to share the answers with another person like a counselor, a priest or a special friend; and I told them that they were welcome to share with me their reply to question number 1 if they wished to do so. Without discussing or planning in advance, both of them shared with me, in front of one another, that the couple that they most admire and would like to imitate were their own parents. (Tiago’s parents have been married for 35 years and Grace’s parents have been married for 45 years.) Then they started talking about their parents’ qualities.

After this wonderful and emotional sharing, around a cup of coffee, they decided to go back to question number 3, and both agreed that «my dreams and my hopes in the future are that our children would talk about us as we are talking about our parents».
Love is not a feeling. Love is not an attraction. Love is a decision. Love is a commitment. LOVE IS STILL ALIVE!

God loves you and so do I,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

* Wedding photos taken by professional photographer, Miguel Ponte.

Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Living in Madeira, and being displaced from my home for two days and one night I went through a unique experience of confusion and fear. But during these days I learned a lot.  I could see with my eyes and I could read in the media that life is not just about «me». Life is mainly about people helping people.
I was planning to write something about this theme when this morning I opened one of the local newspapers and found a short article that I decided to translate and share with you:

« Members of the INEM [that means National Institute of Medical Emergency] carried on their shoulders a gas cylinder; a woman officer of the Republican National Guard took care of a little lost dog; a Police officer helped people to leave their homes; a young volunteer girl of the Red Cross, at dawn, took a baby for his first medical check up; Firemen who saved houses that belonged to people they didn’t know and at the same time lost the houses of their own relatives; and even a group of anonymous people who showed up and gave whatever they had. Hugs and words of encouragement. Have courage… they told each other.

This is how these days of hell in Funchal have been. The spirit of helping each other has arrived everywhere. Even the prison guards and the forest guards. Even the newsmen and newswomen. When facing the fire, everyone helped each other. We don’t know their names, we don’t know who they are, but we know that they are in danger. And that is all that is needed to offer help.
Even knowing that not everybody has technical skills and that many took serious risks facing the danger… Even some situations of intolerance and nervous irritability… ended in sincere apologies. Solidarity still exists. And it is alive. » –
From the article that appeared in Diário de Notícias, Funchal, 11 th August 2016.

Life is about People Helping People. Tragedies teach us how to live!

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade

1.
I always use two handkerchiefs. One in each pocket. The handkerchief in my right pocket is coloured and I use it for everything I need. It is «my» handkerchief. When I change my daily cloths, the handkerchief in my right pocket goes to the laundry basket. The handkerchief in my left pocket is white and I never use it for anything. It is not mine. It is always ready for emergencies that are very rare. It goes directly from my pocket to the laundry basket without being used. It is always clean and ready.
2.
One day I was with my family in one of the mountains of Brazil. I saw a lady whose son had smashed the door of her car on her finger, and it had started bleeding painfully. I offered her the handkerchief from my left pocket and I assured her that it had never been used. She took it, and I left it with her. The handkerchief from my left pocket helped to stop the bleeding finger of a woman I had never seen before, and I would never see again. I prayed for her and thanked God for the gift of the handkerchief in my left pocket.
3.
For a few years my niece Ana lived with me in California. Before she took her driver’s licence she was always a passenger and I was the driver of my car. One thing that started bothering me was that, very often, she used and abused the use of the handkerchief that I kept in my left pocket. And of course she knew, and I knew, that that handkerchief would never be returned. One day she sneezed and as usual she asked me for the handkerchief from my left pocket. I gave her my handkerchief but impatiently remarked: – «Ana! You know that a handkerchief is something very personal that you always need. Why don’t you start bringing your own handkerchief? ». A little embarrassed, she answered: – «Tio (that means uncle), you will never know how good it is to travel in life with someone who always carries a handkerchief I can use every time I need one, to wipe my tears, my sweat, to blow my nose or anything so personal or dirty like covering a sneeze. Yes! Anything very personal and no questions asked. Thank you «tio» for the handkerchief from your left pocket. Please never stop using it. You may find in your life other people who may need the handkerchief from your left pocket with no questions asked».
Of course I felt tears in my eyes and since then I continue to always carry a white handkerchief in my left pocket. It is always clean and always available for anyone who needs it with no questions asked. «Help carry one another’s burdens» (Gal. 6:2)

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade
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Brought to you by: Fr. Bernardino Andrade
V. P. Menon was a significant political figure in India during its struggle for independence from Britain after World War II. Menon had a splendid reputation for personal charity. His daughter explained the background of this trait after he died.
When Menon arrived in Delhi to seek a job in government, all his possessions, including his money and I.D., were stolen at the railroad station. He would have to return home on foot, defeated. In desperation he turned to an elderly Sikh, explained his troubles, and asked for a temporary loan of fifteen rupees to tide him over until he could get a job. The Sikh gave him the money. When Menon asked for his address so that he could repay the man, the Sikh said that Menon owed the debt not to him but to any stranger who came to him in need, as long as he lived. The help came from a stranger and was to be repaid to a stranger. Menon never forgot that debt.
His daughter said that the day before Menon died, a beggar came to the family home in Bangalore asking for help to buy new sandals, for his feet were covered with sores. Menon asked his daughter to take fifteen rupees out of his wallet to give to the man. It was Menon’s last conscious act.
Menon ministered to strangers because a stranger had ministered to him. [Robert A. Fulgham, All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten (New York: Villard Books, 1988).]

Why have Christians been historically so charitable, so caring? It is because once we were lying beside the road, broken and bleeding, and nail-scarred hands reached down to us and ministered to us in our need. While we were unworthy, Christ the Divine Good Samaritan died for us.

Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
I saw Dr. William Magee Jr. crying on a TV program. It was the program called Hour of Power with the Rev. Dr. Robert Schuler in California. Both could not contain their tears in this TV program.
Dr. William Magee Jr. was a plastic surgeon in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1981 he decided to travel to the Philippines to operate on children with cleft lips and other facial deformities. Unfortunately, there were so many children there with this deformity (a deformity that can render it impossible to speak or eat), that hundreds had to be turned away. This caused Dr. Magee and his wife, Kathy S. Magee, to start an organization called Operation Smile.
Operation Smile sends volunteer doctors to perform reconstructive facial surgery for free on children worldwide.
«It wasn’t a strategic plan», said Magee. «It was just a matter of emotion and passion to make sure children didn’t have to live this way. »
The group, which has already treated 50,000 children worldwide, also trains doctors in other nations to perform the procedures. Magee hopes to use satellite technology in the future, so that he can teach a greater number of medical professionals the necessary
techniques.
Dr. Magee didn’t have to do this. He could have justified himself with: «What’s in it for me? There are so many children in my own city whose parents, or whose insurance company, could pay for this surgery. I’m a busy doctor here. I don’t have to go halfway around the world and minister to indigent children. Not my problem».
I doubt if Dr. Magee even wondered if this act of service would get him into Heaven. He simply saw a need and filled it.
He became a Good Samaritan, encouraging fellow surgeons to become Good Samaritans too.

God loves you and so do I.
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

For more information on Dr. Magee and “Operation Smile”, take a look at the organization founded by him, here: www.operationsmile.org

Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
Viktor Frankl, a medical doctor and psychiatrist, was born in Austria from a Jewish family, on March 26th, 1905, and died in California on September 2nd, 1997. He founded the school of Logotherapy that explores the meaning of the individual existence and the spiritual dimension of the human existence. I believe that his most famous book is the «Meaning of Life».
In 1942 Dr. Viktor Frankl, his pregnant wife and family were put in different concentration camps. He received the prisoner’s tattoo number 119.104. When the war ended he found out that his wife, his parents and all of his family had died in the horrors of the Nazis’ Holocaust.
One day, the guards in the concentration camp who had been trained to be mean and cruel, brought him to a big room. They put Viktor in the middle and made a circle around him. Then the commander with his strong and satanic voice looked at him and said: – “Undress. I want to see you completely naked.”
Humiliated in his dignity he had no choice. However, he looked peaceful and serene, which made the guards very upset. Actually, the peace and serenity he always expressed, even going through the atrocities of the concentration camp, were the main reason why they were so upset with him. After dropping all his clothes on the floor, Dr. Frankl was completely naked, surrounded by inhumane guards who found pleasure in torturing human beings. He just stood there, waiting for new orders. Again the commander looked at him and shouted:
– “Take off that stupid thing from your finger!” (That stupid thing was his wedding ring). At this time, he decided to talk and told them in a serene voice:
– “You have the power to torture my father, my mother and kill them along with all my brothers and sisters. You have the power to burn my house, torture and kill my wife and my baby she was carrying in her womb. Now you have the power to undress me and take away from my finger the last and the most meaningful possession I have ever had in this earth. But there is one thing you can not do…” – At this time all the guards were silent. They even forgot to interrupt him and slap him on his face.
– Then he ended like this:
– “But you can not take away from me the freedom that I have to love you and to forgive you.”

Fr. Bernardino Andrade

Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
Some years ago I received this message from my dear friend, Fr. José Marins. I just translated it into English before sharing it with you…
1. Laughing is taking the risk… of looking like an idiot.
2. Crying is taking the risk… of looking sentimental.
3. Getting closer to other people is taking the risk… of committing yourself.
4. Showing your emotions is taking the risk… that others will know you.
5. Sharing your ideas and dreaming with others is taking the risk… of risking your ideas
and your emotions.
6. Loving is taking the risk… of not being understood.
7. Living is taking the risk… of dying.
8. In all hope there is the risk… of despair.
9. Every time you try, you take the risk… of failure.
10. However, we have to take risks because the greatest danger in life is… to take NO risks.

Because the one who doesn’t take risks does nothing…. has nothing…. is nothing….
Maybe you can avoid suffering and pain but you can learn nothing, feel nothing, change nothing. You can not grow, you can not love, you can not live. Chained by your rightness you will be a slave and will sacrifice your freedom.

Risking is the only way of conquering freedom.

Love,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade