by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
Bad Teams With Excellent Players
It was Monday morning and I was listening to the radio. The theme was about football. For sure this is not my main field of interest. I like cooperation. I dislike competition even if it is football. But the radio was on and I was doing something else. All of sudden I heard a statement that made me think and brought me many memories. Some very good, and some not that good. What I heard was:
«This team has very good players but this team is a very bad team».
Even if it sounds like a contradiction I understood immediately and perfectly. I have been many times part of that «bad team» with «good players». To be a good team doesn’t mean necessarily to have good players. To be a good team means that the players play TOGETHER.
TOO MANY COFFEE POTS
In many parishes of America, where I worked for 32 years, there is a very good tradition. When people meet, before the meetings, there is always somebody in charge of making coffee and when the members of the group start arriving they are welcomed with a hot cup of coffee. It is a good ice-breaker to help people to socialize and be «warm» before starting the meeting.
Some parishes have many groups and associations. But one of the things that I don’t like and makes me sad is when each group has its own coffee pot. Maybe this is not general but some even write their names and don’t appreciate when other groups «invade their property» and use a coffee pot that is theirs. One day I heard a priest saying that we can evaluate the life of a Parish on how many coffee pots exist.
WHO WOULD GET THE CREDIT
Actually, in reality, this is a parable of what, very often, happens in our lives and in the lives of our churches and in our society. More important than serving is who will get the credit. That’s why I can be a good player but I also want the credit. I also want the reward to add to the other rewards that are already on my shelves to show others how good I am.
ANGLICANS AND CATHOLICS «PLAYING» TOGETHER
One of the most meaningful things about Ecumenism is when we invite the non-Catholics attending our Mass at Penha de França, to join the priest around the altar and say the Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer together. Now with the arrival of Father Michael Jarman to serve the Anglican Community of Madeira, we are planning different ways to unite our churches with more gatherings to pray together, to spread the good news together and to serve the poor together.
The first step is to exchange pulpits. Fr. Michael already gave me the date when he is coming to our Chapel and preach at the English Mass, and also invited me to visit his Church and preach to his congregation. Another extremely good thing is that on November 21st, the members of the People Helping People Association are going to start meeting in the facilities of the Anglican Church. They will be part of us and we will be part of them. Until now we have been meeting at Moynihan’s Irish Pub, kindly offered by the owners, Tadhg and Sinead Moynihan.
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)