Witness

GOD AT WORK IN OUR DAILY LIVES

Ursula Bugembe, RSCJ

When I stop to consider the situation in the contemporary world, it seems to me that the fire of life has been left to willingly become extent. We, the bearers of this life, of this fire, have preferred something else, something which resembles life, which resembles the fire, but which does not satisfy us. And since we are not satisfied, we are not at peace with ourselves, nor with anyone else, not even with the Creator. The harmony of Creation has been altered.

I feel that the time has come for the fire to be reborn from the ashes. This time of preparation for the Jubilee of the year 2,000 is an appeal to each member of the family of God to return to the source of life, to regrasp the broken ties in the chain of life. Like the African proverb says: «If you do not repair the crack, you will have to rebuild the wall». Rebuilding, therefore, the chain of life of every human being, in relationship with Nature, with ourselves and with Him, who gives us everything. It is above all the moment to render thanks to God for having granted us the opportunity to live in this historic period.

The time has come to re-establish the harmony which we ourselves have broken, closing our eyes in front of God, impersonated in our brothers and sisters. The time has come to repair the evil made against our Earth, rendered to the point of no longer being able to nourish its own children. The appeal which reaches my ears is not just a warning to stop cutting trees for our good - it's an appeal to the entire world so that it remembers that this planet was created in harmony; this harmony was destroyed by us and now, before it's too late, we must put ourselves to work to re-stabilise it.

On the contrary, if things did not go bad, according to the African tradition, the elderly - that is all those who represent the authority, that means each person who contributes to living in harmony, in peace and in justice...they would exhort the members of the community to question themselves on their way of life, to ask themselves how and why we have reached this point. Today, we have in front of our eyes a great quantity of things which do not create nor respect life. It is therefore the work of the «elderly» - that is to say the Church - to invite the community to be aware of the danger that threatens it and to move all together like a big family to do something; for example, to organise a great fast which draws out concrete help, giving shelter to the homeless, making authentic gestures of reconciliation...so that we are able to attain the sharing of our goods with all those who live in misery.

• The life which is God, is in us.
• «I came so that you have life, and life in abundance» (Jn).
• It is life that maintains all of Creation in unity and in harmony.
• It is life which permits us to discover in ourselves the presence of God.
• The Holy Spirit is the power which surpasses every human power.
• The Holy Spirit is the living presence of God in the world.
• The Holy Spirit is the bounty of God which reflects itself in the human heart and in all Creation.
• The Holy Spirit is all the richness of God in the world.
• The Holy Spirit is the harmony in all that is Created.

The Holy Spirit is God at work in daily life.