(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
Even if I believe in plans, I have to confess that my life and the life of many people, like me, is made more by events than by plans. Things happen. And very often they change our plans and our lives forever. There is a saying that goes like this: «If you want to make God laugh tell Him your plans».
Last Sunday was Easter Sunday. As usual I had the privilege of celebrating the Eucharist in English with the beautiful community of Penha de França. Because it was Easter Sunday, I thought that it would be a good idea to say the Our Father in the languages of the forty-seven people who were attending Mass. We had the Our Father prayed in nine languages: English, Polish, Indian, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Ukrainian, Irish and Portuguese.
It was so beautiful to experience the vast diversity of languages praying to the same Father, being so different, and so united, in the same Eucharist. It was really a preview of what heaven will be like. We looked so different, but we were so united. This is what we dream for tomorrow’s world.
Then at the end of Mass, I thought that it would be a good idea to count how many nationalities were in this little chapel. The result was very surprising. Who would ever guess that in those forty-seven people in this small chapel, singing the same hymns, praying the same prayers, speaking different languages with so many different accents, being nourished by the same Word of God and the same Eucharist, wearing different masks sanitized by the same alcohol gel, observing social distance because of the corona virus… that we would have sixteen nationalities? Cultural diversity is not a problem. Cultural diversity is a Blessing.
Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade
11/04/2021
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Are you curious to know which nationalities were represented at Mass last Sunday ?
From the quick “survey” done of everyone present, we discovered that these were the 16 nationalities represented:
British (9), Irish (5), Indian (1), Colombian (1),
Venezuelan (1), Swiss (1), . Polish (5), Ukrainian (1),
Namibian (1), Zimbabwean (1), Singaporean (1),
Greek (1), South African (8), Dutch (1),
English (1)….. and….. Portuguese (9)