Fr. FX Sudarmanto, SX
Karawanie and Senekoro villages, two new communities under Mongo Bendugu Parish, celebrated the gift of first baptism for their members on 9th and 11th July 2016. A teacher and 13 students were baptised in Karawanie village and 13 students in Senekoro. These are the pioneers of Christian community in the villages which were 100% Muslim.
The presence of Primary Catholic Schools in these villages enabled priests and cathecists to start catechumenate classes more than two years ago. We thank the communities for the warm welcome shown to the missionaries. We also thank the parents and other family members in both villages for allowing their children, brothers and sisters to embrace Christianity. They have demonstrated openness and have cooperated with the mission, even supportiing the baptism. The presence of the town chief and elders is another encouragement for the newly baptised to introduce new experiences in their villages.
The presence of a small Christian community will offer the richness of the Gospel values to the society. We believe that the new Christian community will not divide the villages, but will enrich the communities. The simple but precious attitudes of the community which are respecting, allowing, encouraging and advocating differences are basic principles for building a healthy pluralistic society. Therefore, the baptism celebration was also a celebration of the beauty of differences.
The first baptism in these villages is a gift from God, not only for the newly baptised, but also for the community. They are ready to have new experiences of living together as brothers and sisters, Muslim and Christian and to enjoy the beauty of differences. Undoubtedly, this will not happen overnight. It is a challenge! It is a process of growing in a continuous ongoing formation.
The first baptism in these villages is the beginning of the process of ongoing formation and maturation in the Gospel. As Pope Francis said in his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel no. 162: “... this process of response and growth is always preceded by God’s gift, since the Lord first says: ‘Baptize them in the name... ‘ (Mat 28:19). With this gift of baptism, there is an opportunity of growing in the Gospel, which for us is the most precious gift that we can share with humanity (Ratio Missionis Xaveriana no. 6).
May the Gospel grow in these new communities through these newly baptised, as St. Paul said: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all” (1 The 3:12). As other students prepare for baptism the numbers of Christians will increase Abounding in love for one another and for the entire community becomes ever more important.
At the end of the celebration we had a simple but beautiful gathering. We all ate together as one family. Everybody felt relaxed and enjoyed being together regardless of the differences. May the attitudes of respecting, allowing, encouraging and advocating differences reach a point where differences no longer make difference, as St. Paul said, ‘... there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Schythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything’ (Col 3: 11). In Omnibus Christus!
Karawanie and Senekoro villages, two new communities under Mongo Bendugu Parish, celebrated the gift of first baptism for their members on 9th and 11th July 2016. A teacher and 13 students were baptised in Karawanie village and 13 students in Senekoro. These are the pioneers of Christian community in the villages which were 100% Muslim.
The presence of Primary Catholic Schools in these villages enabled priests and cathecists to start catechumenate classes more than two years ago. We thank the communities for the warm welcome shown to the missionaries. We also thank the parents and other family members in both villages for allowing their children, brothers and sisters to embrace Christianity. They have demonstrated openness and have cooperated with the mission, even supportiing the baptism. The presence of the town chief and elders is another encouragement for the newly baptised to introduce new experiences in their villages.
The presence of a small Christian community will offer the richness of the Gospel values to the society. We believe that the new Christian community will not divide the villages, but will enrich the communities. The simple but precious attitudes of the community which are respecting, allowing, encouraging and advocating differences are basic principles for building a healthy pluralistic society. Therefore, the baptism celebration was also a celebration of the beauty of differences.
The first baptism in these villages is a gift from God, not only for the newly baptised, but also for the community. They are ready to have new experiences of living together as brothers and sisters, Muslim and Christian and to enjoy the beauty of differences. Undoubtedly, this will not happen overnight. It is a challenge! It is a process of growing in a continuous ongoing formation.
The first baptism in these villages is the beginning of the process of ongoing formation and maturation in the Gospel. As Pope Francis said in his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel no. 162: “... this process of response and growth is always preceded by God’s gift, since the Lord first says: ‘Baptize them in the name... ‘ (Mat 28:19). With this gift of baptism, there is an opportunity of growing in the Gospel, which for us is the most precious gift that we can share with humanity (Ratio Missionis Xaveriana no. 6).
May the Gospel grow in these new communities through these newly baptised, as St. Paul said: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all” (1 The 3:12). As other students prepare for baptism the numbers of Christians will increase Abounding in love for one another and for the entire community becomes ever more important.
At the end of the celebration we had a simple but beautiful gathering. We all ate together as one family. Everybody felt relaxed and enjoyed being together regardless of the differences. May the attitudes of respecting, allowing, encouraging and advocating differences reach a point where differences no longer make difference, as St. Paul said, ‘... there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew, between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, or between barbarian and Schythian, slave and free man. There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything’ (Col 3: 11). In Omnibus Christus!