Jumapili ya 12 ya kawaida

Injili. Mt. 10:26-33

Injili ya leo ni mwendelezo wa maagizo ambayo Yesu aliwapatia mitume kumi na wawili alipokuwa anawatuma kwenda kutangaza Habari Njema za Ufalme wa Mungu. Maadili ya Ufalme wa Mungu ni tofauti na maadili ya ulimwengu; kwa hivyo watu hawapendi ujumbe wa wanachukia mitume. Kwa hivyo ilikuwa kawaida kwa mitume kuogopa wakati Yesu anawatuma kwenda kueneza injili kwa ulimwengu wenye uhasama. Labda, Yesu alikuwa amegundua kwamba wanafunzi wake wangeacha utume wao ili kuokoa maisha yao dhidi ya watu waliowachukia. Ndiyo maana Yesu aliwaambia wasiogope. Katika Injili ya leo Yesu anatoa sababu tatu kwa nini mitume wake, hawapaswi kuogopa kama asemavyo, 1.Mungu hakubali uovu kushinda wema, 2. Ni Mungu tu anayeweza kuua roho na mwili, 3. Mungu ni mwenye huruma na rehema. Wacha tautafakari yaya, moja baada ya jingine.

Yesu Kristo anabaini aina mbili za uoga ambao mitume walikuwa nao: kuogopa mashtaka ya uwongo na kutuhumiwa, na hofu ya kifo. Yesu mwenyewe alishtumiwa kwa uwongo mara nyingi na watu wake mwenyewe na viongozi wa kirumi, walileta mashahidi wa uwongo dhidi yake, ilia ache utume wake, ili kumtenganisha na watu. Lakini Yesu hakuwahi kuogopa viongozi, badala yake aliutangaza Ufalme wa Mungu duniani. Kwa kuwa Yesu mwenyewe alikuwa amepata mashtaka ya uwongo na kukataliwa na watu, alijua kuwa hata wanafunzi wake watapitia hali hiyohiyo. Kwa hivyo Yesu aliwahimiza wanafunzi wake wasiogope mashtaka ya uwongo wala kutuhumiwa. Na anawahakikishia kuwa Mungu atafichua mipango mibaya na vitendo vya watawala kwa kusema; "Hakuna kitu kilichofichwa ambacho hakitafichaliwa" Kwamba “Mungu hatakubali uovu kushinda ni ahadi ya suya ya 26. Yesu anawahakikishia wanafunzi wake uhakika na uthibitisho wa Mungu.

Pili, wanafunzi pia waliogopa kifo. Sote tunaogopa kifo. Tishio la kifo linaweza kuwa lina nguvu Zaidi ya hofu ya kushitakiwa. Kwa kutangaza neno la Mungu, inawezekana kwamba wanafunzi waliuawa. Tumeshuhudia katika utamaduni wetu wa KiKatoliki kwamba, karibu mitume wote waliuawa. Wengine wao walisulubiwa msalabani, kama Peter na Andrea, na wengine kama Yakobo, Paul, na Bartholomeo waliuawa kikatili. Serikali katika nchi nyingi hutumia hofu ya kifo dhidi ya Wakristo. Yesu anakiri kwamba wanadamu wana nguvu ya kuua, lakini anabainisha kuwa wana nguvu tu ya kuua mwili, sio roho. Ni Mungu pekee anayeweza kuua roho na mwili. Kwa hivyo, Mungu pekee ndiye tunayepaswa kumwogopa.

Sababu ya tatu kwa nini wanafunzi hawapaswi kuogopa ni upendo na huruma ya Mungu. Sisi ni muhimu sana kwa Mungu kuliko shomoro. Mungu anajua kila kitu tunachopitia. Yesu hkuahidi maisha rahisi kwa wafuasi wake. Yeye aliwaeleza wazi changamoto na mapambano ambayo wangekutana yao lakini aliwahakikishia kuwa Mungu hujali Shomoro ambazo zinauzwa, kwa hiyo anawajali Zaidi wanafunzi wake kuliko shomoro. Mngu anatujua, anatujali ndiyo maana anafahamu hata idadi ya nywele zilizopo vichwani mwetu.

Je! Tunaweza kujifunza nini katika Injili ya leo? Usomaji wa maandiko ya leo unatutaka tusiogope, unatualika kuwa mitume wa Kristo, kuwa thabiti katika Imani yetu na kuwa wafuasi wa Yesu na washiriki wa Kanisa bila woga. Maisha yetu na witi wetu ni tofauti na wito wa wanafunzi wa kwanza. Hofu zetu znatofautiana na Wakristo wa kwanza. Kuna mambo mengi ambayo tunaogopa. Wakati mwingine tunaogopa kwamba tutafanya uamuzi mbaya. Wakati mwingine, tunaogopa kama wengine watakavyotufikiria tukimtangaza Yesu. Tunaogopa kwa kuwa hatujui hatima ya watoto wetu baadaye. Tunaogopa pia uzee. Wakati mwingine tuanaogopa pia kitakachotokea ikiwa tutaugua. Mzizi wa hofo hizi ni woga wa kupoteza na kukosea. Kila hofu tuliyonayo imewekewa msingi kwa kujua kuwa tuna kitu au mtu wa kupoteza. Ninaweza kupoteza kazi yangu, familia, nyumba, pesa, afya na hata maisha yenyewe. Kukataliwa na kupoteza ni msingi wa hofu yetu. Lakini tunasahau jambo moja; Magumu, shida na matitizo yanayotukabili, Mungu wetu anayajua kuliko sisi tunavyoyajua. Baba yetu wa mbinguni anajua kabisa kile kinachotokea. Tukishajua tu ya kwamba Mungu yuko upande wetu na maisha yetu yamo mikononi mwa Mungu atupendaye, tunaweza kuishinda hofu. Wakati mwingine hofu ikituvamia tunapaswa kukumbuka kuwa tunaye Yesu, kuwa waaminifu kwa Yesu tukimtumainia Yesu katika maisha yetu, yeye ana nguvu kuliko uoga na hofu zituzongazo. Nikukumbushe kuwa Mungu anatujali- sisi ni watoto wake wapendwa, na anamjali kila mmoja wetu. “Usiogope; wewe ni wa thamani Zaidi kuliko shomoro wengi.” Mstari wa mwisho wa zaburi 27 unaelezea kwa muhtasari: “Mtumaini Bwana. Kuwa na Imani; usikate tamaa. Mtumaini Bwana.”

Siku moja padre moja alikuwa maekaza kuhubiri kwa bidi sana katika mkutano, kwamba sisi sote ni watoto wa Mungu, na hawakupaswa kuogopa wakati hali mbaya inapofika. Watu walufurahiswa sana nah ii na wote walishangilia wakisema amen. Ghafla gaidi akaingia kanisana na bunduki. Na akaelekezea bunduko kwenye mkutano akisema, “ Ni nani mtoto wa Mungu hapa? Nataka nimpeleke mbinguni? Mkutano ulikaa kimya. Kisha akafyatua bunduki na kupiga paa, mkutano ukapiga kelele, “Ni Padre, Yeye ndiye anasema kila wakati kuwa yeye ni mtoto wa Mungu! Padre akajibu ni njama ya aina gani hii? Kila mtu hapa anajua kuwa mimi ni mtoto wa Charles Githinji.

Reflection. 12th Sunday in Ordinary time

Reflection on 12th Sunday in ordinary time.

First Reading: Jeremiah 20: 10-13

Second Reading: Romans. 5: 12-15

Gospel. Matthew 10:26-33

Today’s gospel is a continuation of the instructions that Jesus gave to the twelve apostles as he sent them out to go and proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The values of the Kingdom are different from the values of the world so people reject the message and hate the messengers. So it was natural for the apostles to fear as Jesus sends them out to evangelize a hostile world. Probably, Jesus would have realized that the disciples would abandon their mission in order to save lives. So Jesus tells them not to be afraid. In today’s Gospel Jesus gives three reasons why his apostles, should not be frightened as he says, 1. God will not permit evil to win, 2. Only God can destroy both the soul and the body, 3. God is compassionate and merciful. Let us reflect on them one by one.

Jesus Christ identifies two kinds of fear the apostles had: fear of false accusation and conviction, and fear of death. Jesus himself was falsely accused many times by his own people and the Roman authorities, they brought false witnesses against him to stop his mission, to separate him from the people. But Jesus never feared the authorities, rather he focused on the Kingdom of God on earth. Since Jesus Himself had experienced false accusation and rejection from the people, he knew that even his disciples will undergo the same experience. So Jesus encourages his disciples not to be afraid of false accusation and conviction. And He assures them that God will expose the evil plans and deeds of the authorities by saying; “nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered.” That God will not permit evil to win is the promise of v. 26. Jesus assures His disciples the assurance of God’s providence.

Secondly, the disciples also feared death. We all fear death. The threat of death may be the most powerful form of fear. By proclaiming the word of God, it was possible for the disciples to be killed. We have witnessed in our Catholic tradition that almost all the apostles were killed. Some of them were crucified on the cross, like Peter and Andrew, and others like James, Paul, and Bartholomew were brutally killed. The governments in many countries use fear of death against Christians. Jesus admits that humans have the power to kill, but notes that they have power only to kill the body, not the soul. God alone can destroy both soul and body. God alone, therefore, is the one we should fear.

The third reason why the disciples should not be afraid is God’s compassionate love. We are more important to God than sparrows. God knows everything that we go through. Jesus does not promise an easy life for his followers. He puts forward the challenges and struggles to the disciples but assures them that God cares for the sparrows that are sold, and God knows even the hairs on our heads better than we do.

What can we learn from today’s Gospel? The scripture readings of today call us to not to be afraid, and they invite us to give witness to Christ, to be firm in our faith, and to be the followers of Jesus and the members of the Church without fear. Our life and vocation are different from the early disciples. Our fears differ from the early Christians. There are many things we are afraid of. Sometimes we are afraid that we will make a wrong decision. At other times, we are afraid of what others will think when we speak up for Jesus. We are afraid of what will be the future of our children. We are also afraid of growing old. Sometimes we are also afraid of what will happen if we become sick. At the root of these fears is the fear of loss. Every fear we have is grounded in the knowledge that we have something or someone to lose. I can lose my job, family, house, money, health, and even life itself. Rejection and loss are the basis of our fears. But we forget one thing: whatever trouble or crisis affects us, we know that God understands it better than we ourselves do. Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what is happening. Only when we know that God is on our side and our life is in the hands of a loving God, we can overcome fear. The next time fear grips our life we need to remember that being faithful to Christ wherever we meet him in this life is much more important than our fear of rejection and loss. Let us remind ourselves that God cares – we are each a dear child of His, and He cares for each of us. “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The last verse of Psalm 27 sums it up nicely: “Trust in the Lord. Have Faith; do not despair. Trust in the Lord.”

One day a pastor was preaching with so much passion to the congregation that they were all children of God, and they were not to be afraid when difficult situations come. People were so much taken by this and all they all shouted amen. Suddenly a terrorist entered the Church with a gun. And pointed the gun at the congregation saying, “Who is a child of God here? Let me send him or her to heaven? The congregation remained silent. He then shot the roof and the congregation shouted, “It’s the pastor! He always says that he is a child of God! Pastor replied what kind of conspiracy is this? Everyone here know that I am the son of Charles Githinji.

Reflection on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Reflection on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Gospel. Jn. 6: 51-58

 “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot possess eternal life within yourselves. For us Christians, when we read this passage we will immediately imagine that Jesus is talking about the Eucharistic celebration. But at the time of Jesus, there was no Eucharistic celebration. That’s why the Jews argued with each other. What does Jesus really mean when he says these words? In order to understand the words of Jesus Christ, it is important to know about the ancient sacrifice. In the ancient times, animals were sacrificed to God. An animal was not burnt fully but partially although the whole animal was offered to the god. Some meat was given to the priests and some were given to the worshippers to make a feast among themselves. At that feast, they believed that the god himself was present as a guest. Moreover, they believed that God himself had entered into the meat. Therefore, when the worshipper eats the meat, he was literally eating the god. When people rose from such a feast they went out as they believed that they are filled with God. By doing this they believed god shared their sorrows, grief, joy, and happiness of his people. We may think of it as idolatrous worship, but it was the custom of ancient people. In some parts of India people still sacrifice animals for god. They believe that God is their guest.  

Now, what does Jesus mean when he talked about eating his flesh and drinking his blood? The flesh of Jesus is his complete humanity. John insisted that we must grasp and never let go of the full humanity of Jesus, that he was bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. What does this mean? Jesus, as we have seen, again and again, was the mind of God become a person. This means that in Jesus we see God taking human life, human problems, battling with our human temptations, working out our human relationships. Therefore it is as if Jesus said: "Feed your heart, feed your mind, feed your soul on the thought of my humanity. When you are discouraged and in despair, when you are disgusted with life and living--remember I took that life of yours and these struggles of yours on me." Jesus knows our struggles, He understands our problems because he himself faced them in His life. To eat Christ's body is to feed on the thought of his life until our own life is strengthened and cleansed.

Jesus said we must drink his blood. In Jewish thought, the blood stands for life. It is easy to understand why. As the blood flows from a wound, life goes away; and to the Jew, the blood belonged to God. That is why to this day a true Jew will never eat any meat which has not been completely drained of blood. "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood" (Gen.9:4). "Only you shall not eat its blood" (Deut.15:23). When Jesus says "You must drink my blood--you must take my life into the very center of your being--and that life of mine is the life which belongs to God." When Jesus said we must drink his blood he meant that we must take his life into the very core of our hearts. We must go to him; and then we will have a real life." When he told us to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he was telling us to feed our hearts and souls and minds on his humanity, and to revitalize our lives with his life until we are refilled with the life of God. If we want life we must come into contact with the love and the life of Jesus Christ.

What can we learn from today’s feast? The Eucharist, (the Body and Blood of Christ), teaches us the importance of community. The Eucharistic celebration brings us all the Catholic Christians together. However, we cannot be in communion with the Lord without being in communion with one another. When we avoid the Eucharistic celebration, we avoid the community aspect in our life. Every Eucharist ends with a Sending on Mission. ‘Go in peace to love and serve the Lord’.  We have to carry the message of the Eucharist into the world. Just as Jesus has become our Food, giving himself completely to us, so too we must give ourselves for the sake of the world.  We are challenged to live the love we have experienced. We must become sources of nourishment for the world as Christ has become a source of nourishment for us.
A man came to a priest and wanted to make fun of his faith, so he asked, “How can bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ?” The priest answered, “No problem. You yourself change food into your body and blood, so why can’t Christ do the same?” But the objector did not give up. He asked, “But how can the entire Christ be in such a small host?” “In the same way that the vast landscape before you can fit into your little eye. ” But he still persisted, “How can the same Christ be present in all your churches at the same time?” The priest then took a mirror and let the man look into it. Then let the mirror fall to the ground and broke it and said to the skeptic, “There is only one of you and yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the same time.”

Tafakari. Sherehe ya Utatu Mtakatifu

Somo la Kwanza. Kut. 34: 4b-6, 8-9

Somo la Pili. 2 kor. 13:11-14

Injili. Yn 3: 16-18

Je, tunaelewa nini kuhusu utatu Mtakatifu wa Mungu? Zamani za kale katika kijiji kimoja nchini Nigeria mzungu mmishionari alifika na kwanza kufundisha wenyeji kuhusu Ukristu. Kwanza alitaka kuanza kufundisha kuhusu utatu Mtakatifu. Alianza kwa kusema ya kwamba kuna Mungu mmoja tu. Halafu akafundisha kuwa kuna mwana wa Mungu na jina lake ni Yesu. Mzee mmoja akamuliza mmishionari, ulituambia ya kwamba kuna Mungu mmoja tu, na sasa unaongea kuhusu mwana wake. Hii inamaanisha Mungu ana mke basi. Watu wakamuunga mkono mzee yule. Mmishionari akajibu, sijasema kuwa Mungu ana mke. Makalio yako ndiyo yamesema kuwa Mungu alikuwa na Mwana, kwa hiyo kama alikuwa na mwana ni lazima alikuwa na mkee pia. Akasema huyo mzee. Mmishionari akampuuza mzee yule na kuendelea na mafundisho yake kuhusu utatu Mtakatifu. Mwishowe yule mzee akamuona mmishionari kuwa ni mwendawazimu. Alimpuuzia yule mmishionari na kuamua kwenda kunywa pombe ya mnazi. Deturi ya kikristo inamwonesha Mungu katika utatu; Baba, Mwana na Roho Mtakatifu. Utatu huu ni Mgumu sana kuelezea kwa wakristo.

Katika mafundisho ya katekisimu tunaulizwa kila mara, Mungu ana nafsi ngapi? Huwa tunajibu kwamba, kuna Mungu Babu, Mungu Mwana na Mungu Roho Mtakatifu. Na katekista akituuliza, Je? Kuna Mungu watatu? Tunajibu-La, kuna nafsi tatu katika Munug Mmoja. Tunaporudi jibu namna hii tunapandishwa viwango na kuwa waumini wa kanisa. Ni sawa na kusema moja kuongeza moja, na kuongeza moja ni sawa na moja. Fundisho la Kiroho siyo somo la hesabu. Tunapaswa kujiuuliza mafundisho kuhusu utatu Mtakatifu yanatuambia nini juu ya uhusiano wetu na Mungu? Tunaelewa nii juu ya uhusiano huu? Kuna maandiko mengi na ishara katika agano jipya ambayo yanaongea juu ya Utatu Mtakatifu. Maandiko haya na kanuni hizi zilitumiwa na mababu zetu wa Imani katika desturi Fulani. Lakini kuna maswali ya kutafakari katika mazingira yetu ya kiafrika. Kama mtanzania, ninelewa nini juu ya Utatu Mtakatifu wa Mungu? Kuna chochote katika misingi ya kiafrika kinachoweza kutuonehsa na kutufundisha kuhusu Utatu Mtakatifu wa Mungu. Kuna viashiria mbalimbali vinavyoweza kutudhihirishia utatu Mtakatifu wa Mungu. Pia ni Muhimu kutambua hizo ishara. La shivyo tutabakia kama huyo mzee wa Nigeria hatuwezi kuuelewa Utatu Mtakatifu wa Mungu.

Katika vijiji vyetu, ninauhakika umewahi kumwona mwanamke aliyebeba chungu kichwani mwake na mtoto amefungwa mgongoni akielekea nyumbani kutayarisha chakula kwa familia yake na labda ni mjamzito. Taswira hii ya mama wa kiafrika inatupatia njia ya kuelewa kuhusu Utatu Mtakatifu. Picha ya mama anayebeba maji, mtoto mgongoni n mwingine tumboni inatupatia picha ya Mungu anayejengwa sehemu nyingi, nafsi nyingi, uhalisia mwingi, na ubora mwingi kwa wakati umoja akiwa Mungu Mmoja. Mungu wetu kama mama wa kiafrika  anaunganisha  sehemu nyingi mungu wetu ni Mungu Mama, Mungu Baba, Mungu mwana, binti, kaka, dada na wakati huo huo ni Mungu yule yule. Hii ndiyo njia rahisi mojawapo tunayoweza kuitumia kueleza juu ya Mungu wa Utatu katika desturi za kiafrika.

Utatu Mtakatifu ni kama ishara kwetu tumekombolewa na Mungu kupitia Yesu Kristo, mwana wake wa pekee kwetu kwa kufa na kufufuka kwake. Tunakumbushwa kwamba tunaokolewa na Mungu kupitia kwa Yesu Kristu katika nguvu za Roho Mtkatifu. Kwetu sisi wa Kristu Utatu Mtakatifu ni njia yetu ya pekee kumweleza Mungu na kile alichotufanyia na anachoendelea kutufanya katika maisha yetu. Mungu anafunuliwa kwetu kwa njia ya Kristu na ndani ya Kristu. Tunajua Mungu kama Baba, Mwana na Roho kwa sababu Yesu alikuja kutuokoa kwa msaada wa Roho Mtakatifu na anatuonyesha njia ya kuelekea kwa Mungu.

Hivyo katika sikukuu ya leo tunajifunza nini? Tunakumbushwa kuomba ishara ya msalaba tukiwa na maana na heshima kubw. Inaunganisha fumbo la utatu Mtakatifu na ishara ya ukombozi wetu kwa kuteswa kwa Yesu, kifo na ufufuko wa Yesu. Tufanye ishara ya msalaba kwa heshima na hadhi kuu na kwa myo wa sala ya kweli. Tunahitaji kuona utatu kama mfano mwema kwa familia zetu za Kikristu. Tumeumbwa kwa upendo tuwe jumuia ya watu wenye upendo, kama vile Baba, Mwana na Roho wameungana katika upendo. Umoja na furaha katika uhusiano wa Baba, Mwana, na Roho ndiyo mfano mwema kwetu katika uhusiano wa familia za wakristu. Familia zetu zinakuwa za Kikristu tunapoishi katika uhusiano wa upendo na Mungu na watu wengine.

Tunaalikwa tuwe bora kama Mungu wa Utatu Mtakatifu katika uhusiano wetu wote. Jamii  za kisasa wanafuata mtindo wa mimi ni mimi, wa kibinafsi. Lakini mafundisho ya Utatu Mtakatifu uatupatia hamasa ya kuiga mtindo wa umoja, “Mimi na Mungu na Jirani.” Nitakuwa mkristo iwapo ninafuata upendo wa Mungu kwa watu wote. Kama wana wa Mungu tunaalikwa kujenga maisha ya upendo katika familia zetu, kanisa, jumuiya na nchi. Kama Mungu mwana tunaalikwa kuwa wapatanishi, kutengeneza Amani. Kama Mungu, katika Roho Mtakatifu ni jukumu letu kujifunua na kufundisha kweli ili kuondoa giza la kiroho. Utatu Mtakatifu atuletee upendo, Amani na umoja katika Roho zetu, familia, kanisa na katika nchi yetu ya Tanzania.

Reflection on the Most Holy Trinity.

Reflection on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

First reading. Exo. 34; 4b-6, 8-9

Second reading. 2cor.13: 11-13

Gospel. John 3: 16-18

(Partially extracted from the Book "Theology brewed in African Pot")

What do we understand by Trinity? A long time ago in one of the remote villages in Nigeria, a white missionary arrived and began to teach about Christianity to the villagers. First, he wanted to teach them about The Holy Trinity, he began by saying that there is only one God. Then he taught them that there is the Son of God and His name is Jesus. One old man asked the missionary, you told us that there is only one God, and now you talk about his Son. That means God must have a wife then. The people agreed with him. The missionary said, I did not say God had a wife. Your buttocks said he had a son said the old man and he must have a wife and all of them must have buttocks. Now the missionary ignored him and went on talk about the Holy Trinity. At the end, the old man was fully convinced that the missionary was mad. He ignored the missionary and went to drink palm wine. Christianity traditionally represents the nature of God as Father, Son, and Spirit. And it is hard enough to explain it to Christians.

During the catechetical instruction, we are always asked how many persons are there in one God. And we are supposed to answer there are three persons in one God; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And If the Catechist asks us, Are there three Gods? We would say “No, there are three persons in one God.” As long as we repeated this we will be promoted to be a full member of the Catholic Church. It is like saying 1+1+1=1. The doctrine of the Triune God is not a numerical puzzle. The question regarding the doctrine of Trinity should confront us with, is not, How come 1+1+1=1, instead we should ask; what does Trinity tell us about God’s relationship with us? How do we understand this relationship? 

There are many texts and short formulas in the New Testament that speak of the Holy Trinity.  These texts and formulas were used by our ancestors in faith in a particular culture. But there is a question that remains to be asked in the context of African theology. As a Tanzanian how do I understand the idea of the Triune God.? Is there anything in our African background that gives us a unique insight into the three persons in one God? There are many symbols that can define the Trinity. And it is important to look for those symbols, otherwise like that old man in Nigeria, we won’t understand Trinity. In our villages, I am sure, you might have seen a woman who might be carrying a pot on her head, with a baby strapped to her back, trying to make it home on time to prepare dinner for the whole family, and she might even be carrying another baby in her womb. This kind of image of an African woman offers us a unique way of understanding the reality called Trinity. The image of a woman carrying water, a baby at her back, and in her womb, can allow us to form the idea of a God who combines many sides, many personalities, many realities, and many qualities at the same time and as the one and the same God. Our God like the African woman combines many sides. Our God is God-mother, God-Father, God-son, -daughter, brother, sister at the same time, and as the one and the same God. This is one of the simplest ways we can explain about Trinity in our African context.

Trinity reminds us that we are saved by God, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. For us Christians, Trinity is our unique way of speaking about God and what God has done and continues to do in our lives. God is revealed to us through and in Christ.

Now, from today’s feast what can we learn? For us Christians, this feast can be a reminder to pray the Sign of the Cross with greater meaning and respectfulness. It combines both the mystery of the Trinity and the mystery of our salvation through Jesus' suffering, death, and rising to life. Let us resolve to make this sign with greater dignity and reverence and in a spirit of real prayer.

We need to see the Trinity as the model for our Christian families: We are created in love to be a community of loving persons, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in Love.  We belong to the Family of the Triune God.  The love, unity, and joy in the relationship among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should be the supreme model of our relationships within our Christian families.  Our families become truly Christian when we live in a relationship of love with God and with others.  

We are called to become more like the Triune God through all our relationships. Modern society follows the so-called “I-and-I” principle of individualism.  But the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt an "I-and-God-and-neighbour" principle: “I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people.”  Like God the Father, we are called upon to build up life and love in our family, our Church, our community, and our nation.  Like God the Son, we are called upon to reconcile, to be peacemakers. Like God the Holy Spirit, it is our task to uncover and teach truth and to dispel ignorance. May Triune God bring love, peace, and unity into our hearts, families, church, and in our country Tanzania.

Joke of the day

At confirmation, the Archbishop asked the children for a definition of the Holy Trinity. A girl answered very softly – “The Holy Trinity is three persons in one God.” The Archbishop, who was rather old and almost deaf, replied – “I didn’t understand what you said.” And the young theologian standing in front of him replied: “Well, Your Excellency, you are not supposed to. The Trinity is a mystery. Nobody understands it.)”