here You can see the place

here You can see our prefects: Fr. Omir , Fr. Roger and Fr. Peter

here You can see more photos from our seminary

D i v i n e    W o r d     F o r m a t i o n    H o u s e    - P.O. Box  80250 - Kabwe - Zambia

Life In The Formation House

- by Dominic Kayoya

Life in the Divine Word Missionaries formation house is fascinating and balanced. There is time for prayers and time for work, time for classes and time for sports, time for pastoral exposure and time for visiting.

The day begins with a morning Eucharist, or morning prayers if the later is not celebrated. The philosophy students during the week days cycle to  Mpima Major Seminary where they have their classes. Us postulants we have common classes with the first years of CICM and SMA on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays we have manual work and I am the coordinator. On Fridays, like our predecessors, we cycle to Sisters of Charity shelter (Mother Teresa) for  our pastoral work.  Where we wash  bed sheets, clean the house, teach in the school and chart with patients. On Saturdays we sometimes have Mass with Holy family Sisters. And after that manual work. On Sundays we go to different places for Mass. Others go to Charles Lwanga or Mukobeko Parish and others to Nkrumah College.

The Philosophers do pastoral work with various organisations based in SVD parishes .

On Wednesdays afternoon we have sports together with the SMA and CICM students. The dominating sport is soccer. We have a great variety of footballers ranging from people like baSaint, baSindazi and baVieri whose skill is really amazing, to people like zeMule and Tachi who might not test the net for the rest of the semester. We still have wonderful people who are faster than the ball and high ranked referees like the man himself ba Referee aka Dominicus.

We have community recreations on Saturdays  from 20:30 hrs till 23:00 hrs and on Sundays from 20:30 hrs to 21:00 hr. This is a time to refresh ourselves after a long week of work and studies. During this time we have activities like indoor games and vidio.

On free days everyone is supposed to be out till 1700hrs and have lunch anywhere he wishes. 

Life at the SVD formation house is indeed interesting and balanced.

From The Mountain To The Zoo

- by Peter Chibale

The summation of all my experiences of the first year of Philosophy has been like that of Jesus during the transfiguration. Passing through that period and meeting its great power of Philosophical education and transformation, I have found myself being transfigured in many corners of my being, of course gradually and positively though it may not be conspicuous to others.

From that mountain of change I found myself in a holiday atmosphere. This sphere was like a zoo containing a diversity of animals. Its beautiful nature enjoyable and confusing. Some animals were ready to strike and devour while others were welcoming. I saw hungry lions against my ‘nature’ and the cows docile and encouraging. Staring at this diversity, I just found myself in a sense of wonder and appreciation. What a wonderful experience, it was one of unawareness and education.

Postulants 2003 - by Kelvin Blanda

I arrived in Kabwe for the postulancy programme on the 7^th of September 2003.

As I was walking towards the formation house I kept imagining and questioning my self. How am I to adapt to a new life? What kind of people am I going to find?

Finally I was inside the formation House. The welcome from the philosophy students was extremely charming. They actually made me fill at home.

On the 8^th, the date of birth of the Society and of Our Lady (what a significant concurrence), we were welcomed with a ceremonial Mass which was attended by all SVDs in Kabwe. We had a procession from outside the chapel, whilst our faces were covered in chitenge. In the rite of welcome, Fr. Peter entrusted us to the community. We were then marked by sing of the cross on our foreheads. The whole mass was very meaningful to our reception.

We began the programme three of us, Mulenga, Dominic and I. Two of our confreres Michael and Edson were still in Zimbabwe processing their passports. Michael arrived on the 23rd of September and Edson on the 29^th of October. I am glad that we are now a full house, helping each other in   discovering oneself in the face of God and other people (Postulancy). The programme is in such way to help us be integrated persons. It is my prayer that God keep us together and continue to show us new challenges and insights in this postulancy year.

2003 Year of Grace

Beyond doubt, this has been a Year of Grace for our Society especially the Botswana Province. For the first time ever, our international community has grown to 16! I call it international because we are of five different nationalities: Zambians, Zimbabweans, Brazilian, Irish and American. This year God blessed us with 2 Saints, 5 Postulants, 8 Philosophy students and 3 Formators.

We have built two new buildings: a chapel and a kitchen/dinning. We students did the diggingof foundations, molding of some bricks and painting. The Philosophy house has been renovated . We now have five bedrooms, four of which are self-contained. We also now have a bigger study room and library. We also now have a borehole.

For our transport to Mpima and Pastoral, 13 new bikes were bought.

 In our farm we have started using the Conservation Farming Method and we look forward for a bumper harvest says our farm manager-Mark. 

Our place now appear new and stunning like a Novice Convent!

For all this, we express our gratitude to: Fr. Omir and Fr. Wojtek the initiators of this project, Fr. Palowski our electrician and the support of the Provincial Council and our Benefactors.

Our New Formation House - by Keith

I call it new because of a reason or two. Truly speaking, the formation house has been in Kabwe for some years now, but I can't help calling it new because of what it shows itself to be. They say that familiarity brings contempt. I 'am quiet familiar with the place. I have been here for more than two years. So it is also quiet easy to be contemptuous and pay a blind eye to any changes that are taking place. As they say, 'it is a continuation with change.' Firstly, since I have been here , we have not been able to add up to twelve, the number of Jesus' disciples. We are twelve in our community.

Fr. Omir Oliveira from Brazil is the prefect in charge of the philosophy students and  Fr. Wojciech  from Poland is in charge of the postulants. We are five philosophy students and the same number for postulants. So, if we were to declare war on each other, it could be a fight of elephants, only the poor grass would suffer.

We are just starting this 2002 - 2003 academic year and as a community, we have started at a good note. Responsibilities were given to each member of the community. In the field of mental gymnastics, the young man in charge of the library is Br. Jonas Phiri, from Livingstone. He is doing his second year of philosophy. In charge of all the works at the house is Br. Peter Chibale, from Chembe - Zambia.  He also sees to it that we are in contact with our lord. He is the worship co-ordinator. He is doing his first year of philosophy studies. In charge of the fuel station, the kitchen, Br Peter Sindazi is in control. He is from Chinsali, northern Zambia. He is also doing his first year philosophy. Br. Fabian Kalaluka Mate is the man who helps refresh our minds and bodies by being the recreation and sports co-ordinator. He is from Sichili - Zambia. The students representative is Keith Hamaimbo, a lad from Livingstone. He is also the academics co-ordinator. He is doing his second year of philosophy. As assistants in these above mentioned areas, our brother postulants are not an exception. 

Br Joe Ncube, a young man who was at loggerheads with our dogs such that one day, early in the morning as he was going to the chapel, the male dog was about to bite him. He was saved by Fr Wojciech who threatened to run over the dog with the vehicle. When we were sympathizing with Joe, we were surprised when he said that, "it wasn't the dog attacking me, I was attacking the dog." It's a relief to mention that they are now good friends with the dog. He gave charms to the dog by giving it bones and lots of food. Joe  is from Bulawayo - Zimbabwe.  Br. Nathan Nyanga, an energetic young man from mamba - Zambia. Brian Ngubiani is from within Kabwe from Ngungu parish. Maximilian Kolbe Bwalya is from the copper belt province of Zambia from Chililabombwe. The last man, but not the least in the line of defence is Mark Tachiona Mutelo. We call him 'touch'.  He is from Bulawayo - Zimbabwe.

The formation house has undergone a lot of change. The extension of  the Postulancy house has just been completed. It looks wonderful. The philosophers are staying in the main house. Our two gardens seem to be doing fine especially with the supplementation of water from the new water reservoir.  Now you can come at the house without fear because the dogs have a new house. I mean during the day. At night, they are all over the place in collaboration with the watchman, making sure that all is protected. As for our going to Mpima Major Seminary for our lectures, we can now go as fast as the pen of a scribe. We have new bicycles.

We do our pastoral work with various groups at our SVD run parish. We are involved with the youths, choir, home based care, altar boys and some of our brothers go to the sisters of mercy, an orphanage centre.

 
Our famous game is uno.  We enjoy it so much such that its fun.
As for football, we combine with seminarians from other two formation houses. It is sad to note that the first game we played with a certain team from the next compound we lost two nil. We have just completed the new volleyball court. Coming back to study, we are proud to say  that our library is now computerized. Although it was tough when entering the books in the computer. This academic year seems to have started on a good note. I hope and pray that all will be fine even as we end it. I pray for the intercession of our mother Mary and Blessed Arnold Jansen , that we may be a people who continually strive to make the earth a better place. I pray for reciprocated understanding among the community members and this, we can attain by being in dialogue and open minded to one another.

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Meet The Postulants 2002

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Greetings to all from the newly arrived postulants. We are five in number: Tachiona Mutero and Joe Ncube from Zimbabwe, Maximilian Kolbe Bwalya from Chililabombwe, Brian Mbulubaya from Kabwe and Nathan Amini from Mamba.

We were officially accepted to the Program on Sunday, September 8^th 2002. I guess we can be called the class of 2002. The welcome itself was a surprise – we never expected it to be so elaborate. We were presented with the Word of God and the medals of Blessed Arnold Janssen. Then our brothers Philosophers marked us with the sign of the cross.

On Monday the orientation started. It was a challenging week. So many new things; all at once. At times we were overwhelmed. It ended with a day of recollection conducted by the newly ordained Fr. Thefan Misengo who was on his way to Benin. The final act of the orientation was a welcome by the community of St. Charles Lwanga – one of the SVD parishes in Kabwe. The second week was a different ball game altogether. The postulancy building was in disarray and needed a lot of work and cleaning. So we became painters, cleaners, masons, gardeners and whatever else the “cruel postulancy master” wanted us to be. But it also came to pass as after a week or so of struggle we managed to put things in order and the normal program began.

We are into the second week now. The lessons are challenging and the assignments are demanding. The teachers are dedicated – unlike the secondary school teachers we were used to. The program includes: Introduction to the Old Testament, English, Prayer and Spirituality, two different courses on Human Development, Basic Christian Doctrine, and Spirituality of the Society. Quite heavy for beginners such as ourselves.

The prayer life is also very different from what we have heard and imagined. We pray three times a day as a community and meditation is a real challenge – not many of us can keep our heads straight up during that time – snores have been heard …

All in all the things are becoming more and more familiar. Our brothers philosophers are of real help during this initial stage of formation. We ourselves are also eager to go on and deepen our knowledge of the religious life and further discern our vocation. May your prayers accompany us. God Bless.       

The Postulants  - Class 2002

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Sometimes … - by Wojtek, postulancy master

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“Sometimes you have to jump off the cliff first and look for the rope on your way down” – thus goes the age-old saying.  I suppose it was invented by someone who had to contend with the situation not quite under his control or within his capabilities into which he has nevertheless placed himself voluntarily. Well, I am one of those.

Arrived in Zambia in Sept 1999 and placed in St. Charles Lwanga Parish, I spent three interesting years in the parish ministry. At the end of my first three years I was made an offer that was difficult to refuse – take charge of the postulancy for a year replacing Peter Madden who desired to deepen his knowledge and skills as a formator attending St. Anzelm’s formation course. Well, I thought, how difficult it can be? Thus, although I was once a seminarian who during the seminary years swore never to be involved in formation again (like most of us I suppose), I found myself a willing but also a very green postulant master. Having arrived back from home leave on Sept 6^th I welcomed the five new postulants barely two days later. Needless to say I was rather apprehensive of my task as my prior experience and preparation for this kind of work amounted to nil.

To make matters even more difficult the postulancy house was not ready. According to the plans and to the contractor who was in charge of extending and renovating the building the work should have finished in July. This was already September and I found no contractor and an unfinished building….  The fist week was interesting to put it mildly. Orientation for the postulants along with a desperate attempt to hire new people, get the materials, supervise the work and finish the project. Only those who know the realities of building anything in Zambia will be able to appreciate what it all meant.

Now, three weeks into the postulancy we are more or less settled. The work almost done and we can get on with the program. The boys were great during these first weeks and threw themselves into work with the zeal typical of young aspirants. They are now even more eager to start their classes and progress with the program. I am also much more confident and hopeful since the initial apprehension gave way to a quiet confidence that, perhaps and after all, there is a rope somewhere down the postulancy cliff.

Interview With Fr. Gabriel Faimau

Socrates, one of the renowned Philosophers stated, "An un-reflected life is not worthy living." Yes! Indeed this reflection has to embrace all our human faculties that bring about an integrated people. In the faculty of spirituality, we as students were privileged to have one of the confreres within the Botswana province who came to help us reflect on our lives during the annual 2003 retreat. The insights we gained from Fr. Gabriel Faimau svd were very profound. The communications desks, through Peter Sindazi were privileged to conduct an interview with the 2003 retreat master.

Peter: So father how are you?

Fr. Gabriel: Fine, thank you and how are you keeping?

Peter: How did it feel to be in-charge of the students for the retreat week; do you look forward to being a formatter someday?
Fr. Gabriel: Wow... coming to this place reminds me again on my beautiful days when I was in the Seminary. Actually Fr. Omir asked me to be with you in this 2003 retreat. I think the Formators are trying to involve also other confreres in the formation program in the province. So this year happened to be my turn... Hehehe... Do I look forward to being a Formator someday? Definitely "No!"

Peter: Would you briefly share with us your background?
Fr. Gabriel: Well, I was born in Timor, Indonesia. I am the first child in the family of six children. I have four brothers and one sister. I did my primary and secondary educations in Timor.

Peter: How did you find yourself in the seminary?
Fr. Gabriel: After completing my education in the minor Seminary, SVD accepted my application. So, in 1990 I was among the nine candidates from East Indonesia who joined the other candidates from Java province in the Novitiate program. So I found myself among other seventeen Novices in the Holy Spirit Novitiate, Malang, East Java. I did my philosophical studies in Wadya Sasama School of Philosophy and Theology then I proceeded for my pastoral in East Borneo and Malang. In 1996-1997, I came back from my pastoral to continue my theological studies in the same school. I also took some courses in the department of Islamic studies, Postgraduate Program of Muhammadiyah University, Malang, Indonesia. I was ordained in my home Dioceseof Atambuwaon the 7th of October in 1999.

Peter: If you were to summarize your experiences in the seminary, how did you find it?
Fr. Gabriel: My days in Minor and Major Seminary were wonderful. I really enjoyed those days. I cannot imagine myself now if I was not in the Seminary. I was lucky; I had supportive Formators, good teachers and amazing friends. I have collected a good number of stories during my time in the Seminary. Among those stories, there are also stories of misbehaving which I do read from time to time. Hopefully one day these stories could be published.

Peter: Father, of all the things the world offers, why did you opt for religious life?
Fr. Gabriel: Life goes as time goes sometimes. Until this day, I am not sure me. I just went through seminary, joined SVD, was ordained and sent to Botswana as a missionary. In other words, up to this stage of my life, I cannot "explain" the reason of being a Priest and missionary. I have more experiences to share than explanations to give.

Peter: Father, in one of your presentations during the retreat, you mentioned that you once found yourself in a University where you were the only Christian in your class; Would you shade more light on that please?

Fr. Gabriel: Yes... it was in 1998-99. I come from a country with multi religious background. There are at least five religions namely; Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Buddhism and Hinduism. Indonesians will never forget the year 1996 when there was a conflict between Muslims and Christians. So many churches and Mosques were burnt. Many innocent people were killed. At that time I was doing my pastoral year. I could feel the feelings of our people especially during their spontaneous prayers. In 1998, we faced the problem again. I was doing my theological studies then and I was an active member of the Students Union. Due to the conflict, one morning during meditation time an idea came to me: "Can't I just take some courses in an Islamic University?" I communicated this idea with my Prefect and Rector. The idea was not only to take the course but also to build a relationship between the Muslim students and Seminarians. I went to Sunan Ampel Islam Institute. The rector of the institute refused but thanks to God, he gave me a letter and sent me to meet the director of Islamic Studies Department in the Postgraduate Muhammadiyah University, Malang. The director, Mr.SjansulArifin said; " Mr. Gabriel, you are the only non-Muslim to have shown interest in our program, you are most welcome to take any course you wish and you will not pay anything!" Wow... what an answer! So, I found myself among 24 master program students and all of them were Muslims. As I shared with you, when they first learnt I was Christian they stopped talking to me until the day I explained the Mystery of Trinity, then, they accepted me as one of them. In our seminary, together with a small group of students, we formed "Humanitas" study group. In this group, we discussed so many issues on dialogue between Christians and Muslims with our brothers and sisters Muslim Students. In the beginning of 1999, we organized a successful seminar on dialogue, which was well attended by both Muslim and Christian Students. Sorry, I have been talking too much.

 
Peter: Has that had any effect on how you are as a religious today?
Fr. Gabriel: Definitely, I have my personal faith as a Christian but in my encounter with other fellows from different religious traditions, I really respect the faith they have. In Asia, as Christians, we live among our brothers and sisters with so many religious traditions. Of course religion and religiosity are two different things. In our time, I would like to reflect more on religiosity than religion. I explained this idea when I wrote my final paper, "Towards a Theology of Religions in Asian Context. A Study of Aloysius Pieres Thoughts."

Peter: After your ordination how was it; what did you look up for, what were your hopes?
Fr. Gabriel: Coming back from my ordination in Timor, I spent some months helping in St. Josef Parish, Matrarnan, Jakarta. Actually. I was just waiting for the date to come to Botswana. I left for the English language in Ireland and then in October 2000, I arrived in Botswana, the land I dreamed before.

Peter: Father, what was your hardest moment and greatest challenge since ordination?
Fr. Gabriel: I think it was when I was waiting for the paper called 'Visa for Botswana'. Hehehe...

 
Peter: Is there anything you can term as "the greatest challenge of being a religious
missionary in the contemporary world?"
Fr. Gabriel: You gave me a big question I have never thought of. With the little experience I have, I think the greatest challenge we face now is the challenge of being a living witness.

Peter: May we digress a bit Father and look at the stance of the church in the world today; pertaining to the experience that you have had in your pastoral work Father, do you think our contemporary church is confronting the world enough?
Fr. Gabriel: I don't really understand what you mean with 'confronting the world'. This is a big term and also a big issue. I would prefer to follow St. Francis Xavier. He used to say "I enter through the people's doors and Jet them come out through my door..." Why don't we enter through the doors of the contemporary world?

Peter: In your view, what should the church do urgently to be more relevant and credible to our age?
Fr. Gabriel: Do you know Cardinal Francis Xavier from Vietnam? He once said; "I dream of a church that can open to all people not only her windows but also her doors." We are the church and many people dream of the cardinals' dream.

Peter: What stage of your Formation do you think has had the greatest impact on who you are today?
Fr. Gabriel: As you might have noticed in our retreat, I was talking so many times on personal experiences and stories. I am still in formation. The formation is not finished after ordination. When I look back, I could see I had great time in minor Seminary. It was a time of self-discovery in terms of talents. This was the period 1986 to 1990.

Peter: What is your sport Father?
Fr. Gabriel: I used to play badminton and football. Now in the mission, it seems I already forgot to do exercises.

Peter: Anything that you enjoy doing during your leisure time?
Fr. Gabriel: I enjoy reading, writing poems and playing music. I also spend some time for our little garden in the Grotto.

 
Peter: Finally Father what advise do you have for us students?
Fr. Gabriel: Guys, the most beautiful stories come from two groups: The newly-married-couples and the students so, have personal stories as many as you can when you are still students... He he he ah eee...

Peter: On behalf of the communications desk, and indeed on my own behalf, thank you very much Father for your time during the retreat as well as for allowing me to interview you. We wish you all the best in your apostolic endeavors.
Fr. Gabriel: You are most welcome.

Faith History - by Peter Chibale

Vocation is a life process whereby we attempt to listen to what God is saying to us. God speaks to us in various ways; by reading the scripture, taking time to pray and reflect, by listening to what other people are saying to us and by looking at our past life experience.

 
However, my first encounters with God have been through reflecting upon the circumstances of my past life experiences and of course with the help of other people. At one time when I was still young, I was involved in the fire accident. I was admitted in the hospital for almost six months. After recovering, this made me reflect about my life in a deeper way. I came to realize that God had a special task for me to do in life. With the help of my guardians, I followed the instructions of baptism and I was baptized.

 
One day, I saw a priest saying mass. As the priest was saying mass, I heard him saying; "the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few," (Lk 10:2). From there, I started thinking of becoming a
religious, but then, I had very meager knowledge about. religious life. I approached the priest one day over the same issue. In turn, the priest advised me to go to the Minor Seminary, for I was still in my primary school years.

In 1995, for my grade eight, I entered the Minor Seminary in Mansa, which is called St. Charles Lwanga. I went to the Minor Seminary with the view of becoming a diocesan clergy. But after completing my grade twelve, I still felt like joining religious life, but then, the question was, under which congregation? Eventually, I got attracted to the charism of the Divine Word Missionaries.

 
Overall, there have been different people at different stages in my life who have helped me in my search for my vocation like priests, my guardians and friends. Finally, at the moment, I am discerning the call to Brotherhood for that is where I feel my heart is driving me to.

What The People Say - by Keith Hamaimbo

True or not I have learn through the years, that there are three vocations in life. These are: single life, marriage life and religious life. But the question that I would like to ask is, 'who tells who what his or her vocation is?' Do we have extraordinary experiences like those of people like Samuel or the prophets in the Bible? Or that of Hosea who is directly told to marry? Or that of John the Baptist who never gets married but just works to make straight paths for others? As long as you are still inhaling oxygen as a live human being, you shall be faced with such questions.

In all these vocations, you can find people who are truly happy with the life that they are leading. It's heaven on earth. The main focus of my reflection is to look at how people influence people, in the process of  choosing their vocation. I strongly believe that people influence the decisions that we make.

Today I am in the seminary. But the decision that I make everyday of my life to continue with what I am doing is not hundred percent mine. What the people say about me does influence me. Just as people who are married get comments about their relationships, so do those who are single. As at now, I am single, so I will speak about my experience as a single young man. These are things that people have said to me. I will not
add or subtract, it will come straight from the farm.

 
As we are charting about our seminary experience, a certain man says: "You did not enjoy life. Before you go to such a place, you must enjoy first so that you cannot miss the things that are not there." As if not enough, an elderly lady says: "I am not for the idea, such a you man wanting to be a reverend Father? You have thousands of children in you and you want to deprive yourself?" Another says: "It is not biblical not to marry, you can serve God in another church were they marry." The other time, a middle-aged man asks: "I admire you, so you will go to many countries? And I know that they will give you a car immediately you become a priest."

I don't know were that young lady got such information; anyway, for interest's sake I will summarize what she said: "Don't you know that priests and sisters have children and they keep them in orphanages?" said the lady, convincingly. Some of these people were speaking with the authority of a prophet. The lady just went to the point and said: "You are just running away from family responsibilities." Admiringly, this other young man just says: "You have chosen a nice career my friend, I really do admire you. You seem to be enjoying yourself; I think I will join also. I am serious about this."

Someone encourages me by saying that I am suited to such a life and that he would rather urge me to go on. As we are having a chart, a beautiful young lady looks at me with a smile and says, "I am not considering marriage now, maybe I may do if you leave the seminary." Maybe she was just flattering me, who knows? The other acquaintance comments that she will do anything to help a religious person to succeed in life, although she doesn't dream of becoming one. I ask her why; she says she cannot manage to keep the vow of obedience.

The other observation that I have made is that there are some friends who, just because I am in the seminary, avoid me. They seem not to be comfortable with me. Even if they say nothing, but the action itself says much. I remember going into town to see a relative. As we are charting, she reaches a point where she says that I should not be going to town so frequently. That I should be enclosed. This is because there are many ladies in town and I may be tempted. On another occasion, a relation of mine asked me if I do admire ladies at any time? We are charting with a friend, he laughs and apologizes for what he wants to say. I tell him to go on and he asks me whether I have sexual feelings and if I have, then there must be someone who surely teaches me how to control them.

I end with my elder brother who writes to me in these words: "I know that you will manage no matter what the so-called discouragers are trying to do. You will be a priest to the Lord in the order of Melchizedek and if you will fall, I will fall with you and if you succeed, I will be with you."

 
I know you have a lot of similar experiences. My main concern is about what you have done about it. I believe that we cannot ignore what other people say about our lives. We have to listen to them. Neither can we get everything that they say about us as gospel truth. By asking his disciples what the people said about him, Jesus was also interested in what the people say about him. This is an everyday reality. And what people say about us can haunt us sometimes. There are times when your relatives may not want you to marry someone or to join religious life or they may be forcing you to get married when you don't want. Such moments are challenging.

For me to make a decision, I must look at what would make me happy even if I may find challenges in that life. Good speaks through other people and so, it would be wrong for me to listen only to those who say what I like. I should listen to the negative parts as well so that if I come up with a decision, I should not regret in the end. For this reason, we should pray to God that he gives us the humility to accept the painful reality of what we should do in life and the wisdom to discern and know where he is calling us.

The Sense Of Wonder - by Wojtek, postulancy master

Someone once said that the sense of wonder is the beginning of philosophy. The desire to know and understand has always driven human beings towards new horizons.

 
Yet at the beginning of every such journey there is this something that catches our attention, draws our focus, attracts us and almost forces us to find out more. Someone once illustrated this pre-intellectual drive as the desire of a flea to stare in the eyes of the magician. A little flea lives blissfully in Rabbits' fur. One day the Rabbit plays part in magician's act. It is being pulled out of the hat, which was shown to be empty. The flea senses that it involuntarily became a part of something greater. Driven by this sense it climbs up the rabbit's hair in a bid to stare in the magician's eye. The sense of wonder has driven it to uncover the reality previously unknown.

 
How do we come to be attracted to people, to ideas, to behaviors? It is also through this sense of wonder, of unconscious fascination and attraction that many of our life shaping moves are made. Some called it intuition, the sixth sense. Regardless of what we call it this sense accompanies us through life.

Our faith stories being reflections of humanity also reflect the presence of this sense of wonder. Undeniably it is the gospel of Mark that focuses on this sense of wonder. Jesus appeared out of nowhere, an unknown adult without credentials. Neither an established synagogue scribe nor a Pharisee, not even a rebellious Zealot. Had he been any of those, his stellar rise to popularity as well as vehement opposition from the establishment might have been more readily understood. As each one must ask what was it that made Jesus a figure that stood out from other public itinerant preachers of his time. All that we have however is the information that Mark conveys to us that Jesus made a deep impression on those who saw him.

 
Already at his first appearance in the synagogue at Capernaum (1:22) we hear that the people were astounded at what they heard from Jesus. This phrase "be astounded" appears no less than five times in. the first 7 chapters of the Gospel. We also hear the crowds being overcome with awe, and frequently Jesus amazes people. This fascination must translate into an inevitable question which Mark puts in the mouths of the disciples in 4:41 - "They were overcome with awe and said: Who can this be?"

 
Less dramatic but equally persuasive is the behavior of John and Andrew in John 1:37. Their brief encounter with Jesus and the words of their own teacher, John the Baptist were inspiring enough to make them shyly walk behind Jesus until the opportunity to ask a question presented itself. In the Gospel stories it is these initial awe inspiring and question rising encounters with Jesus, which laid foundations for discipleship.

 
And this leads us to our point for reflection. We, the people who embarked on a journey of Discipleship, we who dared to challenge ourselves to follow through with the desire to follow Jesus, do we still remember the moment or moments of the initial inspiration? Where have we first felt that we are a part of something larger, something that eludes wordily expression and yet is undeniably real? So real in fact that makes us take life-altering decisions?

 
When and where have we felt the piercing gaze of the Man from Nazareth fixed on us?
How did my discipleship begin?
Is it important to remember these awe-inspiring experiences any way?
Someone called the Church "the Community of Memory." The Church remembers the stories that form its foundations. A person must have his or her story that shapes who one is. We must remember our foundations. The writer of the Gospel of Mark is thought to have recorded the memories of Peter. And is the only Gospel that ends in the same place where it had begun. "Go back to Galilee," tell his disciple the Risen Jesus.

Go back to the place of your original inspiration, to the place where you've first felt your heart burning with zeal and fascination. After the tragedies and betrayal of the Passion the disciples need renewal, renewal of their commitment to Jesus. But equally important was the renewal of their trust in themselves and their ability to be faithful, to go on in the quest of discipleship. And that renewal can only happen when and where the initial sense of wonder is remembered and revisited.
So will our renewal...