MARCH 2007

ISSUE 9 - ISSN 1448 - 6326

PRACTICAL THEOLOGY - MELANESIAN STYLE *

The eight essays below are all written by Melanesians from Papua New Guinea. They are fine examples of Narrative Theology—Melanesian style. They begin with people’s life-experiences—including HIV/Aids, traditional faith healing, initiation ceremonies, gender issues, suffering and death, celebration and meal-sharing. They then reflect on the meaning of these experiences from the perspective of Christian faith. The approach is profoundly dialogical. It does not see Christian faith as something imposed from the outside—too often with very European clothes. Rather, it recognizes that God communicates with each of us according to our particular family, tribe, culture and situation. This results in concrete, practical and inspiring theological reflection that, in these examples, is both genuinely Christian and authentically Melanesian. They witness to what one author names as the movement to a new way of being Melanesian Church. [Editor]

A Personal Outlook on Traditional Faith in Healing

Allanza Apini

My father has reached his 75th year of life. Hard work and the worries of looking after a large family had taken its toil on his body. He became ill and despite seeing many doctors, his illness persisted. As his condition worsened, he started to look towards our traditional village doctors for cures. However, even though they were plentiful, he was reluctant to use them, knowing that I don’t have much patience with them and have many times made known to him my stance against them.

One day, while I was away, a family friend who is also a traditional village doctor dropped in for a visit. Upon seeing the condition of my father, he convinced my father to let him perform his rituals. After performing the healing rituals, he gave my father some herbs for his illness. Then they agreed on some form of payment, as is customary, and the doctor left.

When I arrived later in the evening, my father hesitantly informed me on the events of the day. I was angry but upon seeing the hopeful look on his face I curbed my anger and tried to appear calm. I pretended that I did not mind and told him not to worry about the payment, as I would take care of it. With a sigh of relief, he settled down and we spent quite a happy evening together, telling stories late into the night. After we retired for the night, I could not sleep as the events of the day still bothered me. I sat up in bed to think about it, and as I thought more about it, I became more convinced that I did the right thing by not getting upset over it.

My father and his generation were the 2nd generation of baptized Catholics, thus their belief in traditional rituals, taboos, spirits and sorcery is still very strong and is an integral part of their life. Though he is a devout Catholic and has brought us all up in a strong Catholic tradition, there’ve been many times when this deeply rooted faith in his ancestral beliefs surfaces, especially in times of extraordinary prolonged sickness among one of us the children. That’s when he would go looking for bush herbs and village doctors to come and “tend” to us. (When he becomes impatient with the slowness of the healing power of the modern medicine.) This traditional belief is expressed, more clearly and in a profound way, when we were forbidden to eat certain food, or were forbidden to swim in any river without first rubbing our bodies with certain kinds of leaves found near the river banks. This was to protect ourselves from the river spirits who might attempt to steal our shadow or ‘spirit’.

My father’s belief in his ancestral cosmic spirits must be commended for it expresses and reveals his deep spirituality for life. Though this spirituality is limited and imperfect in a certain way, it provides the basis and foundation for the spirit of the Catholic faith to take root and become an integral part of his whole person. The Faith then slowly works to develop and helps it to reject those weaknesses that are a hindrance to the growth of its perfection, without destroying the dignity and the spirit of the traditional belief. In fact, Faith becomes stronger as it is more understood in its relationship with traditional spirituality.

In the Old Testament we see a lot of similar experiences with the Israelite people. They have a traditional spirituality which is expressed in their faith in God Yahweh, who led them out of Egypt and performed great miracles for them. But while in the land of Canaan, they were exposed to many different spiritualities (Judges 6; 28ff, 1Kings 11; 4. 2Ch 25; 14ff). So prophets had to remind the Israelites to be faithful to their traditional belief.

The relationship between our traditional faith and the Catholic faith can suffer setbacks and create misunderstandings if one tries to totally isolate one from the other, especially when one totally rejects his traditional belief and regards it with contempt as an inferior form of spirituality. The rejection and disrespect for one’s own traditional beliefs can blind one to the richness of God’s different level of gifts of faith to every people on earth according to their own specific environmental, cultural and social upbringing. The acceptance and appreciation of one’s traditional beliefs opens one’s heart to the faith founded in the Gospels more readily. One is also able to acknowledge and appreciate more fully the truths revealed in the Gospel as the Gospel eventually reveals the short falls of one’s own traditional beliefs and assist in rejecting those short falls which are a hindrance to one’s spiritual growth. (Rom 8:38) In the New Testament, we see Paul and the Apostles had to do away with some of their traditional beliefs so that the Truth of the Gospel may purify and bring to perfection their traditional faith (Acts 9; 1-20, 10;11-15).

Though there are elements of ‘evil spirituality’ that exist in traditional rituals for healing, most often one finds they are not ‘evil’ in the true sense of the word, but rather a form of neutrality. “Traditional stories often stress the fact that those who obeyed what was demanded of them by non-human beings, found well being, while those who disobeyed found death.”[1] These rituals are harmless in themselves unless they are performed in an incorrect way or without a proper sense of respect. The need for proper preparation is as vital as the action itself as this guarantee the success of the ritual.

Thus, my father’s openness to traditional cures is not a rejection of his Catholic faith but rather a complement. It is an acknowledgment that God uses people and things that my father is comfortable with; rituals and cures that he understands better and are very significant to him and with which he is able to relate and identify. Thus, one need not spend too much time worrying about whether these rituals and traditional cures are unchristian, but whether it expresses what the Gospel preaches, that is love. As the Late Pope John Paul II aptly expresses… “Love is … also the sole criterion for judging what is to be done, changed or not changed. It is the principle, which must direct every action, and the end to which that action must be directed. When we act with a view to charity, nothing is unseemly and everything is good.”[2] In addition, the Catholic faith has created an awareness that all good things come from God (Gen 1: 4). That God has always existed and has already revealed this cure to our forefathers under the guise of their traditional beliefs.

For there is only one God and He is understood in many different ways and cultures, some less, some more, than others. “Some Melanesians do not necessarily view magic (traditional healing) as undermining the exclusive claim of God, because their ancestral spirits and deities are not considered to be ultimate powers, they merely function as intermediaries in regard to some other mightier source of power.”[3] This Truth, revealed in the Scriptures (Ex 20:3) encourages one to accept his traditional beliefs with joy and pride, for it also reveals that all spirituality comes from only one source…God.

[1] Mantovanni Ennio, “Is Magic Excluded from Dialogue? Missiological Reflection on Magic” in Catalyst Vol. 27, No. 2 (1997).

[2] Redemptoris Missio, Encyclical Letter of John Paul II (1991): No.60.

[3] Montovanni Ennio, “An Introduction to Melanesian Religions” in Point No. 6, 216.

Initiation into Christian Adulthood

Sr Grace Domani SR

Introduction

I come from a society that believes in the existence of spirits. In my area, people commonly call the deity, Sainduo. ‘Sai’ means unseen mystical being; ‘Duo’ means a person who is a man. That being existed long before things were created. Someone whom no eye has seen but he was and is existing (Jn 1:1-14). Traditional religious rites enable us to enter into deeper awareness of the sacred.

The human longing and searching for the sacred communion with the source of life was also a traditional experience encountered and lived through specific initiations and rituals. The men entered into initiation that taught them attitudes needed for adult manhood. Women entered into initiation that prepared them for the full responsibilities of womanhood. They were holy experiences. The traditional experience of Sainduo may also be viewed as an experience of the spirit of Christ who is Alpha and Omega, and present from all time and for all times among peoples of the world and throughout the whole universe, through God’s creative presence.

Initiation

When a baby girl is born into a family, she is very ordinary the event is without much celebration. She is only recognized for who she is as a person with dignity identity and value when she enters into her initiation into womanhood at the time of her first menstruation. The story I write about my initiation into womanhood highlights only the significant events of my experiences together with the spirituality, faith and theological point of view of that initiation which has formed me into being a committed religious sister today.

The initiation rites follow three stages over a period of at least a week. The first stage involves being isolated in a small house for several days. The second includes wearing special decorations, but also trials. The third moves from trials to the revelation of special secrets. I experienced this when I was 15 years old.

The house was built in the centre of my village. I was isolated for three days without food and water in a small house in a part of the village normally forbidden for women. When I came out to wash, the garamut slit drum was beaten to inform the people that I was coming out. The drum message was one of joy and praise. The people in my village and the nearby villages came in the night and celebrated with local chants that went on till daybreak. These chants were very personal, telling of different qualities, such as industriousness, perseverance and hospitality, that they wanted to see in me.

Different things were done to test my patience and endurance. On the fourth day, I was asked to come out for a short while and given some food to eat. Being very hungry, after three days without food, as soon as I entered into enjoying it, the food was taken away from me to test my resolve and patience. If I had protested I would have been labelled as a greedy person.

On the fifth day I was dressed completely in traditional jewellery and presented before the crowd who came for that occasion. That moment I felt dignified, special and valued and recognized in my society. It led me into a deeper realization that I was no longer a girl who could just do her own things that she liked. I was a woman and I was tested and prepared for the trials of womanhood. The things I said and did as a girl, I could do no more. It was an inner challenge for change of attitude and behaviour. My behaviour was not seen only by my family, but by the whole community where I lived and worked. It was a call to relate in public in new ways.

On the sixth day young women of my village, mainly my relatives, helped to prepare some decorations for another level of sacred ritual in which I was made to crawl through a small hut lined with nettles (salat). The hut was built so low that I had to obediently crawl through it without a word of complaint or resentment. Deep within I knew it was a preparation for real life that sometimes is painful and a struggle. Firm endurance will in the end bring success, joy, goodness, prosperity and maturity. Coming out from that hut and into a pool of water was an awfully painful experience but I made it through with a deeper sense of determination.

In the final ritual I was led into a very sacred place alone, away from all the other women who had accompanied me to the river. Two of the wise women of my village were my only guides. In deep silence and respect for the sacred I was led to the glorious ending of the ritual where I was shown a whole array of very colourful traditional jewellery displayed -- some small and some big. The place was so bright and glorious that it imbued me with inner contentment that made me forget about the pain. When we returned home the women made special dishes for celebration and young girls and women enjoyed the food.

Reflections

In my religious life as a sister today I have a sense of deep inner contentment where I am. I feel at home, but deeply rooted in the past. I see tribulations and hardships as part of life, and at such times am able to draw on an inner strength and courage to stand and face what comes. I still have the voice of the wise women echoing within, ‘To become a strong, valiant woman you need to persevere with sincerity through pain, struggles and suffering.’ It was a unique experience and I feel special because of it.

There are ways I have accepted religious life which I believe rely more on the values learned in my initiation than what was taught to us during religious formation. My cultural experience allowed me to be open to the sacred in a way that I could not have been otherwise. For example, in prayer before the blessed sacrament, I experience the sacred place within me, which I believe is an interior reflection of that small house where I spent three days during the initiation rites. The revelation of the glory of Jesus to those who search for him in prayer, reminds me of the glory of the special revealing of the treasures when I was with the wise women at the end of my initiation. I can believe in the glories of Heaven having gone through an experience of pain leading to freedom, joy and a new identity.

Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary followed the cultural practices of their time. Jesus was presented in the temple as the Law commanded. They offered a pair of doves and pigeons as required by the Law of Moses (Lk 2:22 -24). We read that when Joseph and Mary had finished doing all that was required by the Law they returned to their home town and Jesus grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom and God’s blessing was with him (Lk 2:42). Jesus’ baptism was surely an experience of the sacred. The connectedness with his father empowered him to feel and hear the assuring words as ‘the beloved’. This personal encounter continued in a long period of prayer and fasting in the desert (Lk 3:21 -22). Before selecting the apostles and at other times during his public ministry he entered into a sacred encounter with his father in solitude and prayer (Lk 6: 12 -16). In his moments of painful suffering he surrendered to the will of the Father, thus providing a perfect example of obedience (Mt 26:42).

In my initiation experience as a young girl I was led into the experience of the unseen mystical being Sainduo. Now as a committed Christian and a sister, my life is rooted in the mystery of Jesus Christ. To reject that sense of rootedness in the traditional experience would be harmful for the soul. I recognise the ancient tradition as a gift of God to be celebrated in the light of the truth revealed in Jesus Christ. Surely Jesus, who went through initiation experiences understands the need for initiation events appropriate for each time and place.

My initiation experience helped me discover the inner strength to choose to live, trusting in the God who called me. The virtues of patience, humility, perseverance, acceptance, trust, strength, courage, obedience, and surrender to the sacred that I entered into during the initiation rituals have been relived and strengthened by the Gospel values and Jesus’ words, ‘Anyone who wishes to follow me should take up his cross and follow me’ (Mk 8:34). I feel that there is a need to incorporate in our formation programs some ritual forms that communicate the positive values that are passed on during initiation rites. It might sound silly, but I think it will bear fruit in the end. How can we get across the value of perseverance, so that our young sisters realise that suffering strengthens faith and trust in self and in Christ who also suffered on the cross to redeem the world?

We are called to help bring people to God. In that way we share in the task of being ‘sacramental’ for others. However, we cannot reflect God to others if we have not had an experience of the mystery of God in the sacred place deep within. The formation programmes offered to the beginners must help the young person discover this mystery deep within themselves. In this way holiness and discovering of the sacredness of our consecrated life starts with oneself if we are to be sacrament to the people.

The God who is my Mother

Br Joachim Toravit

Having been brought up in a patriarchal culture I grew up with a dominant image of God as a male figure. Even priests, Christian religious education teachers, teachers and just anybody at all would talk about God as a masculine figure who is a “JUDGE” sitting there in his highest throne with a book recording all my mischief. Most interestingly even prayers that were and are still prayed in liturgies today have masculine image and just for any person who prays will always refer to God as a mighty powerful one. I really had difficulty with that masculine God. It really affected my relationship with first of all myself, then people around me and even my relationship with who my God really is.

When away for studies in Africa I was in charge of a borehole where mothers and even young girls and ladies would come to fetch water. There I was always waiting, like Jesus waiting at the well (Jn 4:1-42), for these women to come or at times they would be there waiting for me. Most would walk some 100 meters away to that borehole to fetch water. Some would come in the morning as early as 4 o’clock and as early as 3 pm in the evening. I did enjoy bossing them around like telling them to be quick in fetching so I could lock the gate or deliberately come late in the morning so they could wait a bit longer into the day, which meant their kids would go to school hungry because they would need water for cooking. How mean I was!

In the midst of all my encounters with these women and people from that area and my own brothers there was this inner storm going on. I was really unsettled deep within. There was this fear of the God that I was brought up with. The fear of hell; the fear of being judged by God; the guilt feelings of all that I had done as a young man exploring my identity; the guilt feelings of imaginations that were always referred to as bad thoughts. I mentioned my inner storm to my spiritual directress who than suggested I change my image to a feminine God. At the back of my mind was the thought, “God can not be a mother. God can’t be female”.

Then one fine evening as I sat there waiting beside the borehole, I was deeply touched by one mother who came along with three big buckets; one on the head, one in the left hand and the other on the right and not just that but a small baby at her back hanging on to her with the help of a piece of cloth. She was really sweating as if as she had just come out of a river or sea. To me it was like Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn 4:1-42), but the difference was that it was this woman who gave me the living water.

I honestly felt weak deep within. I was paralysed. I could feel my heart beating faster. It was like my blood vessels were opening up and I could feel blood rushing inside them. As the mother and the child came closer I could here deep within my heart a voice saying, “this is your God, the one who has cared for you since birth”. Somehow I told myself, “Truly this is the God that I have missed for so long. The God that I was always blind to relate to.” I stood up from where I was sitting, went to that mother, got her three buckets plus all the other buckets from all the ladies who were there and filled them all.

That night as I was sitting in my room memories of my mum and my sisters came flashing through my mind. How gentle they were to me. How kind and compassionate they were to me. How loving my dad was to me. How faithful both my mum and dad were towards my upbringing. Another experience that I remembered was that when I was a young and up to this time my mother would always, when ever a visitor came, give away her share of what we were having. Most mothers are like that. I do know some mothers who have to struggle all along on their own here in PNG supporting their kids in schools by earning money from marketing vegetables, working cocoa and copra, selling fish and many other small activities that are income- generating. This is the mother God that Hosea 11:1-4 portrays. A mother who calls, teaches, holds, heals and feeds her young.

I realised, my God was not the God of the early missionaries. A loving compassionate God was the God that I was longing for. The God who could set me free. God who is always there, waiting for me (Lk 15: 11- 32 The compassionate Father) How blind I was till that very moment. How could this image of a God who is a judge have kept me at a distance from God who is loving and compassionate.

Now looking back home women have contributed so much to the development of our communities by simply mothering their kids. They expressed some of the very qualities of God that are very helpful to nurturing Christian faith. Looking back at our past we do have traditional stories of creation where a female figure was present. There is the tumbuna story of a grandmother with her two grandsons. She was the God of my ancestors. This is how the tumbuna story goes.

There was once an old widow and her two grandsons. They were alone on an island. The elder son was a gardener while the younger one was a boat builder. The grandmother was their cook. She looks after them and gives them advice. Now near where they lived was a cave where they used to get salt water to flavour their food. One day they had a meeting that they should let seawater go to other parts of the earth. After the very long discussion they all agreed to let the water flow so the two grand sons broke open the cave and water started flowing. The youngest of the two got into his boat and off he sailed into the ocean and ended up in the land of white people and taught them how to make boats, cars, engines and many other things. The older son stayed back and taught the black people how to make gardens, hunting, fishing and many more.

This is our genesis story and this is just one of the many similar stories that we have here in PNG. That was how my ancestors tried explaining creation. It is very obvious how this mother figure cared for her two sons. How loving she was to them. How generous she was to the whole earth. Why did we shift from that feminine figure of God to a masculine figure of God. The bible itself is full of feminine images of God like; Isa 42:14, 46: 3-4, 49:14- 15, 66: 12-13, Dt 32:18, Hosea 11: 1-4, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Acts 17:28, Lk 15:8-10, Jn 1:13. Why did the early missionaries put too much emphasis on the masculine God who is always up there in heaven with his book? Was it because that was the image found in some parts of the bible or maybe to instil fear in people so that they would do good?

This masculine image of God has been doing me no good at all and if it did that for me than it can be so with a lot of other people both young and old. A recent experience that I had was when I was running a recollection for a group of grade 7 & 8 students. In one of our exercises I got them to draw God. It was not a surprise what I got at the end. All drawings ended up with a masculine figure with very long beard and half of those God with a book. I asked them what the book is for and the answer I got was that it is for recording our sins. After collecting their drawings I got them discussing the feminine images of God and I was surprised to see their reactions. Some laughed about the fact that God can be female. They just couldn’t grasp that at all. One of them was even brave enough to tell me that what I had just told them was a very big sin. Then I got them to look at bible passages that portrayed the feminine qualities of God and I could see changes in their facial reactions. Then we went on to drawing God the second time and some interesting drawings came out like a hen with her brood under her wings (Mt 33: 37)

Looking at Sunday mass goers today if you observed very closely you will see that the majority would be older people. As for the youths or teenagers you will have to work extra hard to get them in. Even if they do attend it was not because of their freedom but because of the fear of hell or punishment. I believe hell is another area where we can be very careful of explaining to our young Christians. Is hell really a place or just a metaphor for something else? In Mt 16:18 hell is seen as a power of death and in Acts 2:27 it refers to hades which is the Greek word for grave. So hell really is not a place of fire burning sinners alive for ever. That was what I was made to believe as a young teenager. I needed liberation and it was the feminine God that liberated me.

The question I am pondering now and maybe the whole Church of PNG should be is “What image is more relevant to today’s PNG culture? What God are we the church portraying to today’s culture? A culture diluted with: drug/alcohol abuse, abuse of women/children, abortion, regionalism, homosexuality, sex as a form of earning a living, HIV/AIDS, the issue of contraceptives, teenage pregnancy and the list could go on and on. What would Jesus do if he was here at this time? Is God as a judge attracting or repelling people.? If it does attract, how free or genuine is it? How Are We The Church Alive In Christ portraying this Christ to those practising all that I have mentioned earlier?

The image that we proclaim to others of the God we worship can really have a great impact on our behaviour and that was what I experienced as a teenager and even as a young man in my early twenties. And so I would like to conclude with this poem because this is the image that liberated me.

Melanesian Mother

Abject poverty,

Incredible endurance,

Struggle upon struggle,

To make ends meet,

To fill hungry mouths,

And live to see another day.

In her kunai hut at night wondering

Where the next meal will come from,

To forstall childrens’ piteous pleas,

And the beckoning grave –

Melanesian mother brave, brave

Incredibly brave,

And the eight wonders of the world

The smile on her face.

God Amidst the Death of Tarem

Calextus Manse

The sun was about to set. And it threw its crimson rays onto the other side of the peninsula. A breeze came blowing onto the Calaphylum trees standing near my sago palm thatched roofing house. And the leaves and the branches of the trees were rustling in the breeze. I heard shouting in the distance. Within the shout, I heard the voice of someone crying. This got my attention and I glanced to the other side of the bay. There I saw people running up to my uncle’s house. I had a discussion with my sister and aunt. In the middle of the discussion, I interrupted the discussion pointing and telling them that there must be an accident!

Not long after, I saw my mother and my other sister come around the bend. They were rushing to my house. I knew they brought bad news. I glanced toward my uncle’s house. A canoe was paddling down the peninsula. A few people sat on the canoe. The canoe arrived and was pulled up to the shore. In the midst of the commotion, I could hear clearly people crying. This made me conclude someone had died. My mother and my sister arrived and confirmed that my cousin fell from a tall mango tree. He landed on a huge rugged rock and broke his skull and the cerebrum gushed out of it. Only his heart was still beating. He was in a very critical stage. This interrupted the long discussion. And the discussion came to a close.

Tarem was the village name of the cousin. His baptised name was Julius. He was about 17 years of age and doing his grade 6 in the only primary school on the Island ( Mushu Island, Wewak). My mother and his, they are first cousins. Hence he is closely related to me. But he was adopted by an uncle. To me, as well as to others, he had an outstanding reputation in showing respect and kindness to people in the village (Bam village). Whenever I asked him to do something he always obeyed. My mother regarded him as a great fisherman. When he pulled down the outrigger canoe from the beach to the sea and paddled out fishing his adopted parents and other family members knew that he would return with the canoe filled with fish. If he caught plenty and he met other family members he would share the catch with them. The totally unexpected accident struck me with awe!

For the past few weeks, there had been prevailing peace and joy in the isolated hamlet and in the whole of the village. Peace and joy are signs of God’s presence in our midst (Gal.5:22). Thus the community is experiencing the reign of God. Specifically I would say “Emmanuel…God is with us” (Mt 1:23). However the situation completely changed when the community received the news that Julius had died from an accident. The news was like a big earthquake shaking the foundation of a building. The whole livelihood of the community was shaken. I was wondering whether God was still with the community. Gradually I came to a conclusion that God was still with us. The situation is like Jesus and his disciples in the boat. The disciples saw the storm and there was a commotion on the boat. But they did not recognize that the “Lord” was with them on the boat. Therefore they should not have been fearful because there was hope (Mk 4:35-41).

I was greatly shocked to hear about the accident. My aunt sat beside me. On hearing this she was dumbfounded and tears were trailing down her eyes. She hurriedly rose together with my sister and they left the scene. My mother did not say anymore. She too was shocked by the accident. She left, walking stooping down and proceeding quickly to the house with a limbum (a vessel for putting things inside and carrying them) hanging down from her head. For a short while a cousin ran toward the house and passed the news that Julius had died!

I was thinking. Firstly, supposing Jesus was in this situation, on hearing the news about the tragic death, what would be his response? This brought to mind the reply Jesus gave to the mourners at the funeral of Lazarus in the gospel of John. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m going there to awaken him” (Jn 11:11). In this particular situation Jesus would have said this like what he had told Martha, “Your brother will rise again” (Jn 11:23). He “has fallen asleep, but I’m going to awaken him”. Jesus historically restored the life of Lazarus. However in the case of Julius, I believed that these words of Jesus will be realized at the end time. Hence the words of Jesus became my hope and strength.

Secondly, most likely Jesus would have followed the other people to see the body. He would not be like other others in a state of rushing. For he is the source of “resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:24).

The rays of the sun disappeared and soon it would be dark. The gentle waves were rolling up the white sandy beach a few metres in front of my house. The evening birds came down and sat on the trees near the house and a patch of rainforest in the neighbourhood. And they were singing away making their last call for the day. The place was very quite except the sad melody of the birds and the sound of crying coming from my uncle’s house. The setting of the day was very emotional. I did not follow the others to go and see the body of my cousin because I was scared. For it was the first time for me to encounter such an accident.

Later, I was assuming that if Jesus was like me he would have acted differently. Even though with his human nature he would encounter fear and shock like me, he would still go to see the body. The bravery of Jesus can be seen too in the story of Lazarus. Lazarus had been dead for four days. There would have been stench coming out from his body. People feared to go near his body, even his two sisters, Martha and Mary. But Jesus went to the tomb and raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn11:38-44).

I was feeling tired. I wanted to have a bit of rest. But I was emotionally disturbed. So I did not sleep. I left and slowly walked up to my elder brother’s house. “Peace be with you” (Jn 20:21). This phrase made me think deeply that Christ was near me and he was the “stronghold of my life” (Ps 27:1) . And he was speaking to me as a friend.

The sound of crying gradually faded away. And I knew the body was now brought to another uncle’s house. Some women were crying up the road. They climbed up a hill and the sound of crying came. Soon the darkness would come down. So the body was brought up quickly.

Darkness came down and covered the hamlet. The two kerosene pressure lamps were lit and wood fires were made outside the houses. In one of the sago palm leaf thatched roofing houses where the body was laid, some little children, especially his brothers, sisters and friends, were huddling around the body recalling the past memories crying. Many villagers were sitting on the verandas of both houses. A blue canvas was tied and some were also sitting under it. Many people gathered in the night for the haus-krai (mourning).

The sudden death in the village like an atomic bomb reaped apart the joy and excitement in the whole village and the Island. On the other hand it built up the community. In ordinary times, even though we are living together as a community, we do not experience a strong sense of community. According to me, we experience a strong bond of community in time of crisis in the village such as death or natural disasters (for example, an earthquake, tsunami or volcanic eruption). At such times we come together in bands or even as a whole village to meet, support, help and comfort each other. We help bring about restoration. The continuous arrival of the elderly men and women, children and young men and women at the haus-krai was an example. Some stayed and late in the night they returned to their houses. In the midst of the sadness overshadowing the community, God was present because God is a God who supports helps and comforts people and builds up community. Hence we perceived God as a helper and a comforter (Mt 20:28; Jn 10:11). For me the Church is truly alive in the village, not so much in ordinary situations, but in times of trial and suffering which can lead to a state of hopelessness. It is not a matter of explanation, but of living out the Gospel-call through our loving, supporting and caring action.

The God who gave us peace and joy before the death of Julius was the same God who comforted and helped us in this moment of grief. He accompanied us in various contexts in our journey of life. This fulfilled the promise of Jesus made in the gospel of Mathew: “…remember, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

It was dawn. Many wood fires were turning into ashes. Some people were sitting and few were sleeping near the fires. Others were still sitting on the verandas of the houses. Sounds of crying were still coming out from the room where the body was laid. Quite a number of women were crowded into the room. My mother and her brother went up to the house to go to the room to sing a traditional lament to the body of my cousin. The women who were sitting on the veranda gave way so that my mother and her brother could pass through into the crowded room. By now it was so crowded that some of the women left the room and went outside. My uncle took a Kundu drum and he began the song. A few others came and joined too.

The rooster was continuously crowing. The people knew soon it would be morning. The rays of the sun came up and shone into the sky in the East. The melody of the lament touched many of the people sitting on the veranda and the people outside the house. And some of them tears were flowing down their eyes and they were crying breaking the silence of the night. I asked, has “the steadfast love” of God “ceased forever” (Ps. 77:7) from us. A thought came to me. The love of God can not be prevented. Even though we are in the days of “trouble”, mourning and our spirit “faints” God’s love is always with us (Ps 77:2-3).

This scene brought to my attention about the death and the burial of Jesus (Mk 15:33-47). After the first Good Friday, the disciples of Jesus and his mother were most probably in a similar situation. The most affected one was Jesus’ mother since it is the nature of every loving mother to feel deeply the death of a son, especially in such a brutal way. The position of Mary is identified with my cousin’s adopted mother and father as well as many of us closely related to him. The adopted parents were weeping the whole night. Emil, the adopted father, my uncle, leaned against a side temporary post to which an edge of the canvas was tied. Both his eyes were swollen from crying. He also lost his voice. He was siting quietly and occasionally he said a word. But his memory was in the distant past to what he normally did with his son. Mary and John stood at the foot of the Cross witnessing the death of Jesus (Jn 19:26-27). They were probably in a similar situation recalling their relationship with Jesus and what he did and shared with them when he was alive.

The sudden death of Tarem brought the villagers, especially the elderly men, to question the cause of his death. Since evening I heard rumours. A few said that he died of an accident, others sorcery and many claimed that he died of sanguma. An uncle was stigmatised as a sanguma man. Before the accident, he received blames for a number of sanguma deaths in the village. The majority of the villagers concluded he was responsible for the death of Tarem. In the evening, when the body was brought up from the beach, he came up too to see the body of his nephew. He came up and walked into the house to see the body. However all his actions at the haus krai were carefully and secretly monitored by the elderly villagers. If he showed a sign of being responsible for the death he should be blamed. And he should be murdered. This was the general intention.

I raised another question. Supposing Jesus was one of the village men and he was accused of sorcery or sanguma, how would he approach his enemies? His message would be to love and forgive because the Lord is always good and his “steadfast love endures forever…” (Ps.117:1-2). Jesus would have some immediate relatives. Most likely his close relatives would support him and fight with the opposing party. In fact, this was the situation in the village after the burial. The village was divided into two groups. The next question is what would have been his personal approach to his relatives? His message would have been “love one another” (Jn 13:34) and forgive your enemies.

The morning came. The people from the other five coastal villages on the Island poured into the hamlet to mourn. Sun came up brightly in the morning, shone and made the place very hot. People were crowded on the verandas of the houses, under the canvas and shade trees near the two houses.

There was no priest, so I was asked in the morning to lead a funeral lotu service. I walked up again to the haus krai, organised the liturgy, sat beside my basket containing my white cassock and waited for the ending of the mourning. The sound of crying coming out from the house deeply touched me. I sat quietly among the other men under the blue canvas watching people moving slowly in and out of the room where the body was laid in the coffin. It was around lunch time the haus krai came to an end. The body was brought out of the house, people rose, gave way and the coffin was put under the canvas. The funeral service was conducted. After the service the body was brought from the haus krai to the cemetery. And it was laid to rest. To me, the death of my cousin was a great loss.

Despite the confusion and sorrow encompassing the village, I believe that God was present. The prophet Jeremiah feared the challenges associated with his mission. But Yahweh told him, “Do not be afraid…for I am with you to deliver you” (Jer. 1:8). The saving action of God was gradually unveiled in the whole context of the death of Tarem. It reached its climax in the liturgy of the death. In the liturgy, Christ was showing us explicitly that he is “the way, and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6).

The incident occurred two years ago (2003) from now (2005). Reflecting back to the life of the village many of the past problems ceased and the village regains its ordinary happy and peaceful livelihood. Thus in God there is hope in times when “we walk through the darkest valley” (Ps 23:4) of our lives.  

Author

Calextus Manse (Diocesan Seminarian, Holy Spirit Seminary, Bomana, Wewak Diocese, St Martin’s Parish, Mushu Island, Bam Village)

Seed That Was Sown on the Hills and Coral Islands of Manus

Going from a Missionary Church

Sr Mary Kanatabu olsh

Have you ever seen a precious plant growing among  thorns and bushes?

 Or on a hot sandy beach?

Those of us who live along the coastal villages will agree that in our Melanesian environmental context we are most likely to see a coconut palm, or a sago palm or a betelnut tree. These would be either carried there by the tide or the birds of the air and are doing very well in spite of the difficulties of the environment.

Jesus teaches us the parable of the sower in the three Synoptics gospels, (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) . In this story Jesus teaches us about the seeds sown in different qualities of soil in the environment and surroundings. Some grew well, others did not do well depending on the type of soil the seed was sown in. ( Matt 13 V 7 )

That same seed Jesus was talking about was planted in Manus by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart almost 80 years ago. As one would read in the History books such as the “Mustard seed” and “Neither Saints nor Angels” that to be planting the seed for the first time was not very easy.

 It was to be a missionary church with the four parishes staffed by the German and American missionaries.

Like many other plants that we sow, that particular seed took a long time to take roots and to become strong. It was like a seed that was choked by the thorns of traditional beliefs and customs which were still fairly strong at the time. It took at least ten more years after the Missionaries came for the seed to take roots, grow strong and to begin to be a Melanesian Church

HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

For those of us who know Manus Island, it is made up of many little islands used to be called the Admiralty Islands. This group of islands was then divided  into the three main Centres.

The North Coast Islands were to have their base at Bundralis for the boys.  The South Coast area and nearby Islands were to have their base at Patu for the girls.  Then the more central place was for the senior classes from Grades 7 to 10 to come to Papitalai. was combined later both boys and girls.

It was in these centres that the basic instructions in the faith was grounded. Preparation for the Sacraments was done and many conversions to Christianity took place.

 For many years, instructions were given in those areas where the students came as boarders. Parents from  the outer islands brought their children, then they stayed in their given areas in the mission ground for sometime or until their children were settled or got over their homesickness. Then they would go back home.. This was truly seen as Christian communities being enriched by their human relationships and common commitment to Christ and his Church.

 This also applied to all the major feasts of the Church like Christmas and Easter Pentecost and other parish feast days like St Francis Xavier Bundralis, Christ the King Patu and St Joseph  Papitalai . The people would travel for days on foot or by canoes to join in the celebrations. The Churches were packed with people coming from everywhere. It was a clear sign of the church alive within their communities.

ROLE OF FAMILY AND MOTHER

Even though Manus is a  patrilineal society, the women have a lot of say in community activities. When I reflect on the society where Jesus came from I see a lot of similarities. While the Jewish leaders and elders sit down to discuss issues in a typical Jews society, similarly in Manus that also takes place.

 I see another classic example of this in the resurrection story where the women were the first to check Jesus’ tomb., ( Lk 24: 1 –11,). Of course straight away the eleven thought the women were talking nonsense. V 11.

This is a real challenge to a lot of women in Manus who  are confronted with  that kind  of attitude from the men. The women take the initiative and the lead in many activities .such as women Catechist, Legion of Mary, Prayers leaders, Communion ministers. This is where I feel the seed is being nurtured and  help to grow through the good mothers who tireless keep the faith going,

As the General Assembly stressed; “ We are Church, the people of God alive in Christ.”

HOW HAVE WE MOVED FROM MISSIONARY CHURCH to A MELANESIAN CHURCH ?

Following is my personal experience and reflection on the transition from Missionary to Melanesian Church.

I was invited out to one of the coastal villages for Corpus Christi. With only three to four priests on the whole entire Island it was impossible to have the Eucharistic celebration. Unlike the missionary church where they had enough priest to go around and the people would have had a chance to celebrate the Eucharist on a regular basis this was not going to be the case.

We all gathered in this little prayer house all full of enthusiasm about the feast. All dressed in their Sunday best . The place was decorated beautifully with rows of flowers on both sides of the path leading to the main entrance for the occasion. We were to have a small procession with two candles and a bible. The celebration started off very well .

 All the parts of the mass were sung with their best angelic voices in parts.

The celebration began with the entrance hymn followed by the rest of the mass proper.

  The Lord have mercy, Gloria,  Holy holy,  Eucharistic acclamation,  Lamb of God. Then the following  prayer was recited;   “ O Lord I am no worthy”  All the communion songs they knew in the “Yumi lotu” were sung The whole liturgy came alive and heart lifting and full of enthusiasm.

 It made the prayer of St Paul came  so much alive.

“We remember how you loved us to your death, and still we celebrate for you are WITH US here , and we BELIEVE that we will SEE you when you come.

Yes He was WITH US and  I went home that day feeling very satisfied .I was only used to seeing the Eucharist with the visible sign of bread and wine.

The people that day thought me another way of seeing the Eucharist as their communion with each other enriched by that common commitment to Christ and His Gospel and candle as a sign of light in our darkened world.

 The Church was truly alive.

The Missionary Church has become a Melanesian Church  today. All the expatriate priests have left and the whole island is taken care of by 5 Diocesan priests. Together with the catechists and Church leaders, the Legion of Mary, the prayer leaders, the youth who make the liturgy alive with their music and garamuts. This ia a challenge for the Melanesian Church to keep building the Church.

Another challenge I saw today as the people are going through a transition period is the reception of the Sacraments. A lot of the outer islands would go through all the customs of bride price payments but still have the sacrament or marriage ,baptism not carried out until two or three years or maybe more until a priest goes there.

I have been enriched by that experience of the transition period because it has broadened my mind to go beyond what has always been done as in a missionary church to something we can adopt  as OUR MELANESIAN CHURCH.

Sharing a Meal - Communion

Paula Kambu - Simbu

The Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea is for the most part less than one hundred years old. It is still traveling and struggling in terms of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and how to effectively evangelize, particularly in the rural areas.  However, the church consists of people; in other words, the people are the church. The church, therefore, draws its strength to continue on the journey from the people who in turn draw their strength from each other, especially in sharing and building relationships with one another. 

The sharing of meals together, thus enhancing the building of relationships is evident in the Eucharistic celebration during Mass. This tradition of ‘sharing the word’ and ‘breaking the bread’ was instituted and handed down by Jesus Christ himself who is head of the church. At mass we not only celebrate being a community, but more importantly we are in communion with Jesus Christ. 

The story of the walk to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35, explicitly shows the sharing of the word (Luke 24:27) and the breaking of the bread (24:30) where ‘the Word’ precedes ‘the Meal’.  Here, Jesus puts the two disciples’ fears at rest when he shares the word and breaks the bread, thus turning their fear and despair into hope and joy. This happened soon after his resurrection. However, before his death, he ‘instituted the Eucharist’ when he broke bread at ‘the Last Supper’ before his death (Mtt  26:26, Lk 22:19) basically to give his disciples strength and courage to stand firm in the events to come. 

We in the Church today do the same in our Eucharistic celebrations at Mass where we all come together sharing the word.  Then comes the culmination of the celebration: the breaking and sharing of the bread by the priest who represents Jesus Christ who is the head of the Church.  Furthermore, when we gather for the Eucharistic meal, we come together with our hearts and minds filled with cares. As we participate in the meal or celebration, like the two disciples, our burdens gradually become lighter, finally reaching that stage where our hearts are on fire urging us to witness that joy and revelation to others. 

I remember some years back when everything seemed to go wrong.  It was examination time for the grade 10 students I was teaching, and I was very anxious as it was my first year teaching. My parents also contributed to the anxiety. My personal life was also falling apart. Consequently my mind and heart were in turmoil. I couldn’t talk to anyone as there were few people I could trust to confide in.  I prayed but in vain. After a couple of Sundays I decided to go to church, however, my mind was not there in the chapel and I was really struggling to concentrate.  Then all of a sudden I was back in High School.  I thought of something a Sacred Heart sister told me then, “During the liturgy of the Eucharist, concentrate on the bread and wine offered, and offer yourself with all your anxieties. As the priest breaks the bread, pours the wine, and shares, pray for your offering to be broken and shared.”   That was exactly what I did.  After receiving Holy Communion, I had this feeling where I was lighter than a feather.  As I left the chapel I felt very different to how I felt before I came in.  It was like the person who came and the person leaving the chapel were two completely different persons.  When I went home I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, so I shared the marvelous, wonderful experience with one of my colleagues and friends, who was immensely moved.  That was one memorable experience where I was in communion with Jesus Christ in the breaking and sharing of the consecrated bread and wine. 

St Paul in his letter to the Corinthians also reminded the church in Corinth of the importance of the gesture of the breaking of the bread and the sharing of this meal.  In 1 Corinthinians 10:16, he reminded the church that when they break and share the bread, they are actually sharing in the body of Christ as a community of believers with Christ as head. In addition, in Acts 27:35, St Paul takes some bread, breaks it and eats, thus giving hope, strength and courage to those on board the sinking ship. Once again we find this special symbol is used by Paul in Acts 20:11 to strengthen the faith and hope of the community. It is the same gesture made by Jesus and repeated ‘in memorial’ of him. 

In Melanesia, sharing a meal together is the core of a communal gathering. It is usually a joyous occasion where people come together to partake in the meal. In doing so, ideas, values, problems, achievements and so on are shared and the people are called to assist whenever and wherever they can. They are also able to comfort and strengthen one another, thus, developing a strong bond or relationship.  Also in these gatherings, talking (the word) precedes the actual meal and we see this correlation in the Eucharistic celebrations. 

Another aspect of a Melanesian gathering, especially in the Highlands is that after an elder addresses the community, he then distributes the food by calling the names of individuals, families or groups.  The recipients receive their share gratefully; though they will have to repay sometime in the future, there is no urgency. The participation also gives the receiver a sense of belonging to a community which further strengthens that bond or relationship. 

In the Eucharistic meal Jesus addresses the church in the Word and then distributes the broken bread.  However, Jesus doesn’t expect us to repay this personal gift as there is nothing He does not have.  It is a free gift to us and we on our part have to make this gift a reality in our lives, the gift who is Jesus Christ.  

There are parts of PNG that don’t celebrate a Eucharistic meal every Sunday as a result of the rugged terrain and remoteness.  The bulk of the population lives in these remote parts of the country, but they see a priest only once a month or in some parts only once every two months.  What do the people do on the Sundays when the Eucharist is not celebrated?   

I remember in 2004, when I was teaching in Gumine High School in Simbu, we had a priest coming to the outstation once a month.  We prayed the rosary or celebrated the Liturgy of the Word with the catechist the other Sundays of the month.  When I first had that experience, I was so down-hearted, as I was used to receiving Holy Communion every time I go for mass.  What amazed me was when the people knew that a priest was coming, they would prepare way in advance.  You could really feel the eagerness, the awaiting or excitement of welcoming a dignitary.  I couldn’t help but feel the same.  We were experiencing a Eucharistic famine and now our hunger was about to be satisfied.  You could see the smile of joy and contentment on their faces. 

There are also other people who can’t receive Holy Communion because their marriage is not blessed and recognized by the Church or they are too young and haven’t received the sacrament of Baptism and Reconciliation, or they have committed an offence like killing or, especially in Simbu, accusing another of Sanguma or witchcraft,  and so on.  These people who are also members of the Church have to live with the experience of a Eucharistic famine too.  As they can’t share and participate in the meal, they feel excluded, instead of having that sense of belonging.  The twist is that Jesus Christ came for these very people, therefore the Church in PNG has to have open dialogue, forgiving and understanding, like the “Prodigal Son” (Lk 15:18-24).  The Church is called to, as much as possible, assist these people to come to realize where they are in terms of their relationship with the Church and, most importantly, their relationship with Christ.  They, then, like the Prodigal Son will realize and start building that relationship and communion with the Church and Christ as the head. 

The celebration of the Eucharist is very similar to the Melanesian way of sharing a meal in community.  Therefore, as the Church Alive in Christ communion is central for strengthening the faith and giving courage to the Church to continue confidently the journey with ‘hearts on fire’ to witness the joy and the revelation to others. The face of Christ is gradually taking a familiar image for the Church in Papua New Guinea. 

The Eucharistic meal is also a sacrificial meal as the bread is broken and wine is poured out, which signifies death and sorrow.  However, as we share in the meal, we also share in the joy and strength of being together.  Looking back, the liturgy is a journey in itself.  We begin our liturgy with reconciliation, where we examine our conscience, asking for pardon and forgiveness.  Then we go on to the liturgy of the Word, where the “Word” who is Jesus Christ himself is shared with us.  This is then followed by the Apostles Creed where we profess our faith, to remind us of our responsibility as the Church.  The liturgy of the Eucharist is where the blessed bread is broken and the consecrated wine is poured, reminding us of the passion and death of Jesus Christ.  Finally we are called to witness the love of God to others.  As the Church in Papua New Guinea, we are called to do the same.  We are called to repentance and forgiveness, in sharing the Word, and not only professing, but living it.  In the breaking of bread and the pouring of wine; the Eucharistic image of Christ, we are reminded of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.  However, His passion and death on the cross didn’t end there. He rose again in glory.   

Likewise, the Church in Papua New Guinea is faced with obstacles and challenges.  The Church can draw its strength from the Eucharistic meal.  As Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper, He is telling us now to have faith and be strong.  As we participate in the Eucharistic celebration, we are called to share and each member of the Church is called to do that. As a teacher, after celebrating the Eucharist, I am called to share with my students the Eucharistic image of Christ.  If every member of the Church witnesses and shares this image, we the Church, like Jesus, will rise with Him in glory.

We are Church Alive in Christ in the Liturgy

Stephen Menau SVD

There are reasons to celebrate life.  We celebrate when there is a good harvest, a successful catch, a happy return or the birth of a member of the family and many more reasons to celebrate life as a gift from God.  In this short reflection paper, I would like to share my personal experience on liturgy as celebration of Life.

Attending daily Mass at the seminary is different from attending Mass outside.  There is a different atmosphere and mood of celebration.  It is livelier with the assembly of the vast multitude of people with different experiences and life style and there is a deeper experience of inner peace and joy. 

The Easter Vigil celebration at Kuriva parish, outside Port Moresby, along the Hiritano Highway, was a delight.  People came from different communities around the parish.  They are from different parts of the parish.  Even coming from and speaking different languages from that part of the country did not make much differences in realizing and understanding the language of the liturgy of that time of the liturgical year.  It is a language of participation and becoming part of a bigger community celebrating life.  It is a response and an acknowledgement of gratitude and reflection of our human nature to the God our Creator, who is good, loving and forgiving.

We gathered for the liturgical celebration because we believe and trust in God and it is where we come in contact with Him.  We want to meet Him, talk to Him in prayer and become aware of his invisible presence among us.  We want to listen to him speak to and challenge us through the scriptures and the homily.  I met Cathy for the first time since she came to Kuriva from Kerema some time ago, and was a stranger among the people.  Now she is a good and active youth member in the parish.  I came to know that Eugene from Goilala, the Aid Post Orderly (APO), and his family met and invited Anna from Manus and her family to their house to chat with some buai.  The family of the teachers came out from being isolated from other families from Kuriva village.  All those baptised at the time were children.  Children may not be recognised citizens in the community, however, that night they became part of the people of God as baptised Catholics.  Meeting outside the church and speaking to each other, sharing buai was a moment of joy, which was the impact of the celebration of life, which we had.  There is always the feeling of being united as one alive in Christ through such celebrations.

Liturgy is a celebration of relationship between our loving God and us and among ourselves with one another.  It is a time where space was created for one family to meet another family.  The families get to know one another.  It is where strangers became friends.  We come to know one another and so new friendship were created.  Those who may be regarded as ‘no people’ in the society or community become ‘God’s people’.  It is when we become one people of God celebrating life in the liturgy.  “Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him my not be lost but may have eternal life” (John 3:16)*.

The narration and dramatising of the creation story from Bougainville included men and women.  Women played their role and so did men and children according to the content and the context of the story.  Men and women sat together in the seats in the crowded church.  Children took up the space before the altar.  The Karuwama (Goilala) speaking people understood the Doura (Central) speaking in the shaking of hands as sign of peace of Christ among us.  It is the sign that binds us together in love.  Teachers, landowners, settlers, seminarians and those from the working class among us became one people united through the celebration.

Liturgy is where we put away the distinction of gender and sex, our differences in language we speak, or our statues as who and what we are.  “For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility” (Ephesians 2:14)*.  All are included.  Men and women become equal partners.  Children are also included.  They feel part of the celebration when special space was given before the altar and acknowledgement of their presence in the introduction of the liturgy.

The landowners sometimes feel being insecure because of the settlers moving into their land.  The Ononghe people from Goilala took up good potion of the land beside the main Hiritano Highway. The Chimbus, Sepiks, Keremas and the West Papuans made blocks along the remaining land.  They live as if they belong to that part of the world.  The main sustenance of the people is the garden.  Rice has to come from the garden too, provided they have to sell the garden produce to buy rice and other store goods needed.  Fear is also creeping into the lives of the people, as there is insecurity among them as various groups of people are isolated from each other.  The only time they come to face each other as brothers and sisters is in the liturgy.  From the liturgy the feeling of oneness and unity in Christ breaks away the barrier of fear and anxiety, which is no longer dominant.  Seeing the same faces, which were in the liturgy, somewhere along the road, in the market, the bingo place or the sports field gives hope and strength of belonging.

Liturgy is a celebration to remember life’s toils, difficulties and challenges and it is where we are in the position and a moment to get strength from God the author of life and from the community whom we live life as it is or as what it should be.  For Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)*.  It is not a performance, where we become spectators, even though there are dances and music.  It is where we want to live out the reality of what is experienced in the liturgy.  After the celebration we want to feel the same spirit of happiness and joy, which we celebrated. People strive for life in the form of death.  A number of loved ones in the area died of snakebites.  Most people living along the road, especially near the market and the bridge witnessed good number of car accidents and seeing people dying helplessly in their midst.  Those who experience people dying in accidents, snakebites or natural death, bring that to the liturgy by praying for them to rest in eternal peace with the Creator, especially the legion of Mary.  Josephine, the wife of the caretaker of the parish area, has been part of the assembly before giving birth to the lovely baby Barbara.  Barbara is now a member of the baptised, however, she was part of us before birth.  One of the elders of Kuriva village came with K200.00 cash for the offering, which was part of the land royalty from the logging company.  The youths gather every Sunday for their sports.  At one time the Chimbus and the Karuwama living nearby were not in good terms because of an incident in which a Karuwama killed a Chimbu pig.  It took time before the matter was settled down peacefully with the assistance of leaders in the communities.

Liturgy is a celebration about people:  the living people we are, and dead people who are alive with God and in our memories, the to-be-born people, who will become part of our community.  It is about the joy we experience, the sadness we encounter, and the challenges we face.  It is an experience of the goodness and mercy of God.  It liberates us from personal sins as well as the sins of the community and from our selfish motivations.  It is a freedom to express our faith in the community openly and gratefully.  It is also liberation from injustices we experience, and we liberate ourselves from being partners in injustice.  It is where we celebrate life and are grateful to life as God calls us to be.  Our faith is sustained and enriches to live as a “Church Alive in Christ in the liturgy”.  From the liturgy we can go out transformed to accept and live life as it is or to challenge and live life as what it should be only then we can experience the words of Jesus, “the thief comes, only to steal and kill and destroy.  I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10)*.

* Scripture references are taken from the Jerusalem Bible.

Witnessing the Love of God in the World with Love for Those Living with HIV

Winnie William

Introduction

Traditionally, in our Papuan New Guinean culture, when someone is sick, the family members and friends gather together to provide him physical support – food, water, clothes. Emotional support is offered by immediate relatives and so in this way, they maintain their communion unity in the family. This also helps the person to recovery. Today, the HIV epidemic has devastated the lives of many millions of people on the face of the earth. It is increasing at an alarming rate. According to the National Aids Council, here, in PNG, more than 10,000 people are infected with the virus. With the Gospel leading us as an infant local church growing, our theme at the General Assembly illustrates that, ‘We the Catholic Church in Papua new Guinea are Alive in Christ witnessing the love of God in the world’. Who is this Church then? How alive are our brothers and sisters who are infected with the HIV virus? This is challenging for those of us who are caring for our friends who are HIV positive. This paper is my reflection on how the love of God is witnessed in the world with those living with HIV. 

Who is alive?

Michael was a young man who was the leader of the music group in a church. He had a very good talent for composing songs and strumming the guitar.  Several other young people joined him to sing and prepare the liturgy.  The other people respected him and even before the Sunde lotu if Michael was not in the church, the congregation would wait for him. In him they saw the light of praising God.  One day, Michael was very sick and despite being on treatment the symptoms didn’t go away. He was asked by the doctor to be tested and so he agreed.

The results indicated he was HIV positive. The stories went around in the village that Michael was positive and nobody wanted to be near him.  For Michael life was so miserable. His own friends and the parishioners ignored him. They had replaced the music leader and everything was back to normal but poor Michael locked himself in his house and came out when nobody was around to see him. His mother was a Legion leader but she was so angry with her son, she too ignored him and continued with her apostolic work.

Referring back to the theme of the General Assembly, ‘We are the Church, the People of God, Alive in Christ, we find it is contradictory because we only think of ourselves. The church is the people. How a church be alive when our family members, friends or church members are facing hardship and discrimination and we ignore their existence.  Being alive doesn’t mean much in situation like this.

Jesus did not teach us to live alone. Instead he blessed us with the Holy Spirit to help us form communion with Him. Faith therefore grows in Christian community.  And so faith challenges us, in the family community to examine how could we believe, have faith  but no love……..(1 Cor 12:12)  The Christian community is the Body of Christ and if one part of the body suffers, all the other parts will suffer as well…..(1 Cor 12:27).  In this case, when a member of the Body of Christ has HIV, the whole Body suffers in some way. Unlike the Pharisee who walked away in the story of  The Good Samaritan, we are called by God’s love to help unconditionally our friends, brothers and sisters who are suffering from this disease.

Witnessing God’s Love

Our forefathers traditionally practised love within their own tribal system. This was because they did not want to lose one of their own. Tribesmen loving enemies was something they could not do. The Gospel of John talks about the love of God; unconditional love that doesn’t count the cost, or race, gender or age. (John

For Michael, life had no meaning; nobody cared. His grandmother, however, saw that Michael was no longer enjoying his friends’ company and he was staying inside his room so often she came to my office one day and told me. I said I would like to bring a friend along to visit them.  We arrived in their village in time to meet Michael coming out of his house. We asked him why he didn’t come around and he said he was sick.  After several hours, he said that he wanted to go back into his room. That was because his friends were coming home from school so he didn’t want them to see him.  And so I told him just before we left, ‘Michael, even if you hide from your friends, God is watching and you know He loves you very much. He does not have any conditions set for you. Why are you hiding? You have not broken the world’s record – having the virus….there are several thousands of others but they are not hiding’. And we left them.

That was an eye-opener for him! He came after a week to talk with us, expressing his feelings. I was deeply moved upon hearing his words of his emotional pain and the intensity of his suffering.  He said, ‘I have wished I was treated how I treated my friends and families before I got the virus. When I was tested positive, I was blamed; I feel I am just nobody.’ Hearing his statement, I was struck by the connection with Mathew’s Gospel, ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat, homeless and you gave me a room, naked and you clothed me’ (25:34-35) For those of us who are living with someone who is HIV positive, this text is very challenging. These  brothers and sisters need someone to help them.

According to the statement of the Bishops (April 2001) there are several networks in the parishes or communities that provide awareness and caré for those like Michael.  Nevertheless, despite all efforts in educating people about the disease, the messages have fallen on deaf ears. Now we have to teach people to take care of those who are already living with HIV, who are not only dying from the disease itself, but also painfully affected  by other factors such as rejection, discrimination and disrespect. We must reach out into little communities and families to assist them.

And so my brothers and sisters, at the end of our life on this Earth, we won’t be judged by how many good things we have done but by the words of the Gospel of Mathew, ‘I was hungry and you gave me food, naked and you clothed me, homeless and you offered me a room’ – ‘hungry’ not for food but for love, ‘naked’ not for clothes, but for human respect, ‘homeless’ not for a room, but for companionship and acceptance. Therefore in the disguise of this sick person, God is calling us to love and serve him endlessly. 

Jesus doesn’t teach us to love by means of our emotions because he also teaches us to love our enemies.  This is because it makes us forget about ourselves completely; the commandment to love our neighbours is just as important as loving God.

* These essays all emerged from a series of Theological Writers’ Workshops held in various parts of Papua New Guinea in 2005. Around two hundred Catholic people—some priests / seminarians, some religious sisters / brothers, mostly committed lay people—met for an intensive week’s formation in “writing theology” on the basis of their life-experiences. The workshops were commissioned by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and organized by Fr Philip Gibbs SVD from the Melanesian Institute. The Brisbane School of Theology at Australian Catholic University supported the program by enabling Mrs Bet Green and Fr Gerard Hall SM to assist Fr Gibbs in facilitating the workshops.

Some of the essays were printed in Point No. 30--Alive in Christ: The Synod for Oceania and the Catholic Church in Papua New Guinea (2006), edited and compiled by Philip Gibbs SVD.

© Copyright is retained by the authors