by (bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
1.
I went to Africa in 1964 without any preparation to deal with cultural differences and different religions. I believe that the same thing happened to many good missionaries who left their lands and the house of their parents and embarked on this fascinating adventure with the purpose of “bringing God to uncivilized pagans”.
2.
When I was ordained as a priest I had the privilege of being ordained with two other Black African colleagues. I still remember a statement of my Bishop when he said: “I am not ordaining European Priests to serve European People, and African Priests to serve African People. I am ordaining Priests of God to serve the Church of God and the People of God”.
3.
One of those two African Priests told me that when he was attending his primary school he used to walk a few kilometers back and forth from his family’s hut to school with three other colleagues. And he saw the three of them being atacked and killed by wild animals. He was the only survivor. One of the things that this story taught me was that walking through those longs paths of Africa was something that had to be done but always with extra precautions.
4.
One day I saw, for the first time, a scene that in my colonialist mind was barbaric. That’s when I concluded that those people were really “uncivilized”. This was the first of many events like this. One family of four people were walking. The husband was walking alone, ahead of his family. His wife was following him. Not side by side like “civilized people” do but behind him. Besides she was carrying their baby on her back, holding the hand of a small child and carrying a bag over her head. Adding to my shocking experience and revolt, I noticed that he was a strong man and was carrying a staff on his right hand “to make his walking easier”. The staff had a spear on the upper extreme as “decoration”.
Fortunately it didn’t take too long to learn the real meaning of all this scene that was labelled by me as wild, cruel and male chauvinist.
When I learned the meaning of this tradition that had been labelled by me as cruel and chauvinist it was transformed into sacrificial love and tenderness.
The reason why this and other men walked in front of their families was to be ready to take all risks, even lay their own lives, to defend their families from any dangerous attack from any wild animal.
5.
Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is called the “Good Shepherd Sunday”. Reflecting about that episode of the African tradition I see a page of today’s Gospel talking about Jesus the Good Shepherd. Jesus always walks in front of us not always to make our lives easier but to make our lives safer. In the time of Jesus there were four political and religious parties. And Jesus was the Shepherd of all of them.
6.
“I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd is one who lays down his life for His Sheep. The hired man, since he is not the Shepherd and the sheep don’t belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep… I am the good Shepherd and I lay down my life for my sheep. (John 10: 11-18)
With many stories like this I didn’t civilize Africa. Africa civilized me and many people like me. I believe that one of the biggest surprises for many Missionaries who went to Africa was that when they arrived to Africa, God was already there.
Love & Peace,