Black Mother

Someone told me to read the lives of the saints to help me in times of the dark night of the soul.  Not just the saints but as well as people who had the courage to come back.  These are … Continue reading →

Setting the record straight

Women play an essential role in the world. For without the woman’s womb, we are not born. Rejoice and be thankful. – Perpetua

Perpetua and Felicity

We celebrate the lives of some remarkable female saints this week, and today, we remember saints Perpetua and Felicity. These remarkable women were early third-century, African martyrs were of great significance in the life of the early Church. They were condemned as Christians by the Roman authorities and sent to the public arena, to be mauled by wild animals. However, they survived and were then taken to be executed by the sword. Their story was widely circulated secretly throughout the early Christian congregations, giving encouragement in the face of adversity. They were martyred for their faith on this day in the year 203.  – Pray As You Go

The Lucky One – Black Mother

Someone told me to read the lives of the saints to help me in times of dark night of the soul.  Not just the saints but as well as people who had the courage to come back.  These are ordinary people who managed to crawl out of their darkness with the help of others and divine intervention.

She was born in Sudan in 1869, kidnapped by Arab slave trades at age seven, sold and resold, suffered much trauma, abuse and brutality during her captivity that caused her to forget her own name. She was named Bakhita, meaning “the lucky one”. Life as a slave terrified her.

Click on the photo to view a brief story in video.

Forgiveness: 
“If I were to meet the slave merchants who kidnapped me, and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands. If what happened to me had never taken place, how could I have become a Christian and a religious?”

Eventually, in 1883 an Italian consul bought her, treated her kindly in his household, took her to Italy and was given as present to a wife of friend.  When the new owner left for Africa to attend to business matters,  she gave the  Canossian Sisters of Venice  custody of Bakhita. Here she found out that she is a free person and remained with the Sisters, became a nun and known as the “Black Mother.”

Bakhita, what a life story she had at a tender age.  How does one get over the abuse she received as a child?  With the help of others that cared about her and discovered that she has a new Master, her God, she recovered.

During the millennium year 2000, Pope Paul II canonized Josephine Bakhita.

Sources:
Wikipedia: Josephine Bakhita
UCatholic: February 8 Saint of the day
Depressed and Catholic: Bakhita, hope for those abused in childhood

When does charity become a business

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Haya, Pete.  Of course, I like you.  You know very well I welcome your thoughts and I enjoy publishing your comments.  I love hearing what you have to say about Science or Conscience on donating. Thank you. You are not going … Continue reading →

A Humble Servant Leader

Hamba Kahle, Madiba

Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013)

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” — from“Long Walk to Freedom”

“I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.” — Addressing a crowd after his release from prison on Feb. 11, 1990.

“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself… Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.” — Nelson Mandela: The Early Life of Rolihlahla Mandiba

“I always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

He left us a lasting legacy.

Link:  CTV News: Mandela’s own words

Photo:  Parabola Magazine

“I AM GOOD.”

 An African tribe does the most beautiful thing. 

When someone does something hurtful and wrong, they take the person to the center of town, and the entire tribe comes and surrounds him. 

For two days they’ll tell the man every good thing he has ever done….

The tribe believes that every human being comes into the world as Good, each of us desiring safety, love, peace, happiness. 

But sometimes in the pursuit of those things people make mistakes. The community sees misdeeds as a cry for help. 

They band together for the sake of their fellow man to hold him up, to reconnect him with his true Nature, to remind him who he really is, until he fully remembers the truth from which he’d temporarily been disconnected: 

“I AM GOOD.” 

This is a brilliant idea, in my opinion, if I can bring this In Canadian / Filipino culture.  Maybe not, I think I will be the person in the middle.

Source: Facebook

News Worthy – Press Release for Teachers

Tue, June 18 – A grade four class in Surrey wrote a press release promoting their teachers, hoping to get some media attention. 

The students wrote to Mike McCardell of Global BCTV.  Mike is always out there looking for story god.  This time the story came knocking on his door and he doesn’t have to chase it.  The story came to him and he showed up. 

The story is about the kids who love their teachers.  They are going to do African dance to raise money for their teachers to go to Zambia. 

So the students sent “Press Release” to Global BCTV: 

“We have been fundraising money because my teacher and another teacher are going to Africa in July.  We have so far raised $3,000.” 

“Our Grade 4 class would really appreciate it if you could come to our school and interview us because we would like to share what we have accomplished.”

 These 50 children wrote letters to get Mike to come.  Press releases with neat printing and with endless hearts were sent to the TV station. 

To see more of this news worthy to be shared, click on the link. 

http://globalnews.ca/video/653253/press-release-for-teachers