– Brought to you by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
When Doug Meland and his wife became missionaries in an Indian village in Brazil the Indians used to call him the «White Man».
Actually this was not a nice name. The memories of the white men in the middle of the Indians were very traumatic. The memories of the white men were memories of houses being burned, land being stolen, women being raped and other very bad experiences. To the Indians, Doug was just another «white man».
But after the Missionaries learned the language and began to help the Indian people with medicine and in other ways, they began to call Doug the «Good White Man».
And when the Melands began adopting the customs of the people, the Fulnio Indians spoke of Doug as the «White Indian». Then one day as Doug was washing the dirty, blood-caked foot of an injured boy, he heard a bystander say: «Whoever heard of a white man washing an Indian’s foot? Certainly this man is from God»: From that day, whenever Doug entered an Indian home, it would be announced «Here is the man God sent us».
That’s the secret of greatness: SERVICE (Mk. 10).
That’s also the chief characteristic of those who follow Jesus. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (Mk. 10, 45; Math. 20:28).
Peace and Love,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade