BE STILL AND KNOW THAT GOD IS OUR GOD

Greetings dear parishioners. May the blessings of almighty God descend upon you and remain with you.

I am not going to ask you are coping with  “Stay Home”! For starters you will not answer my question since you do not write back, and secondly I know most of you will say it is “killing us”!! Well we can only wait for what the powers that be, are going to tell us next. Meanwhile can these words of an old hymn bring a ray of light to you? (Text by Isaac Watts, & Music by William Croft; 18th Century).

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Beneath the shadow of thy throne,
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Such words always bring me hope, give me strength and give answers  to all, and I say all, my questions. I know: God will make a way where there seems to be no way.  Try my way and you will see how all the storms within you will be calmed down.

You will remember that on 20th March, our first confirmed Coronavirus case was reported. From then to today when I am writing this piece, we have hit the 200 mark!! (Actual number 203, and of course numbers keep on changing…..). That is not good news  and it is fertile ground for bringing  desperation to some. However, with all due respect, desperation and all that goes with it, even if we stand on our heads or jump from a fourteen floor balcony, will not bring us any light. Only tuning our ears to the One with all the answers, will make us sober down and make us begin to say:_______ “Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.” that is the way to surviving the “STAY AT HOME” period.

Have I thanked those of you who have used all possible channels, under the circumstances, to streng-then others during these difficult times? I do not think so. So thank you all of you who are doing all they can to assure us that we are not at the end of the road. I thank most especially those using NAGGULU CHURCH PROJECT and KAMU KAMU WhatsApp. Thank you, thank you, thank you. To these I add all those who are strengthening us and keeping us going here at the presbytery. We are most grateful to you brothers and sisters for your spiritual and material support, may God continue to uphold you. 

I take this opportunity to appreciate the contribution of the  people here at the church. They are doing a lot to see that our church area remains clean and well looked after. Maria Namubiru does not only make sure that everybody staying here eats well cooked meals but also teams up with people like Helen and Ivan to  ‘garden’ around flower beds, hedges etc… something which has kept us reasonably ‘clean’. Then on top of that, Ivan regularly sweeps the many leaves that continually and stubbornly fall from the trees around our compound. In all this, George Bogere is always behind the scenes to put his gift of “buyiiya” in practice.

Regarding our liturgy. Maria Salome Kirabo, is doing wonders! Talk of the worship space, requisites for the celebrations and leading the singing….. she is there. And now comes the best part, we’ve been looking for someone to be in charge of the Ministry of Worship Environment, now I am not searching any more. George has proved himself the man! This is one good outcome of the lockdown! When preparing the worship space (decoration etc…), he teams up with Kirabo and they come out with many surprises! While still on liturgy, mention must be made of Musomesa Immaculate, who makes sure that all Masses requested are well registered and said. She is always ready to take the readings during Mass, and adds her voice to the singing. Seminarian Odiya plays his part in the liturgy as expected (serving, reading and singing). 

Lastly, there is Peter, whose hand touches all touchables! From askari to “key-boardist” during our liturgy, driver etc……

As usual I say, hang on in there; be still and know that God is our God! Amen.

Sat 16, May 2020 21:05 pm

JESUS THE WAY, TEACH US TO PRAY

In his song, LORD TEACH US TO PRAY, Joseph Wise —— (an American song writer and painter, who has published over 19 albums of Christian songs and was born in 1939) — says the following in the refrain:

Lord, teach us to pray,

It’s been a long and cold December kind of day.

With our hearts and hands all busy in our private little wars,

We stand and watch each other now from separate shores.

We lose the way.

Today, as we hear Jesus telling his followers that he is the way, the words of Joseph Wise are a reminder that in order not to lose that WAY, we must learn how to pray. Knowing how to pray is the door to finding and remaining on the way.

No doubt we are always saying that we are with Jesus, that we are on the way. We are with him when we read or listen to the word of God, in the Eucharist at Mass or during adoration, when we are gathered in prayer, in our neighbors, in the suffering, the sacraments and many other ways as we journey towards our rooms in the Father’s house; but we very often do not feel that warmth of walking with Jesus.  We do not experience him. We keep it mostly at the mind level!

This results in making ourselves very busy in private matters and standing on one shore with our struggles while we watch our brothers and sisters on another shore, struggling with theirs. We consequently end up getting lost!

If we learn to pray, if Christ the WAY teaches how to pray, then we shall recognize and actually experience him everyday. We shall move from sitting before the Blessed Sacrament and saying: “Lord Jesus you are in that sacred host”;  to saying: “My Jesus I feel your presence before me…….”. We shall move from saying “Lord Jesus, you said that you are in this suffering individual”; to saying: “My Jesus here before me, I want to touch you and do something good for you”.

To learn to pray and therefore avoid losing the way, will certainly mean abandoning our private little wars and coming together as one sheep-fold following the WAY.

Joseph wise, in one of the stanzas of the mentioned song says the following:

I stand so safe and sterile as I watch a man fall flat.

I’m silent with a man who’d like to know just where I’m at.

With the aged and the lonely I can barely tip my hat.

I need to see the sin of “I don’t care.”

With the present situation, when we are threatened by the Coronavirus, when some think that there is no way it is going to get to them, and others think that the danger has been overcome; we should learn how to pray: and that will mean recognizing Jesus who is everywhere with us and following him as he leads us. It means seeing the sin of I don’t care. It means giving some assistance, no matter how small, to our neighbor. It means leaving our comfort zones, areas where we feel safe, and making sure that we give our brothers and sisters a hand in their struggles. This will ultimately mean that these days, before you act,  please consider the others!!!! May be you do not fear the virus, but what about the ones you may take it to? Or what about those you may bring it back to from wherever you will have picked it up!! Oh! You say you are strong, that even if you catch it, you will get well by and by? But have you considered your neighbor who may not be as strong as you are? Please do not “stand so safe and sterile as you watch a man fall flat”.

Jesus is the way. As Joseph Wise says: do not LOSE THE WAY! See the sin of I don’t care and avoid it; and you will have contributed a lot to the winning of the Coronavirus pandemic battle.

We must not: “Stand and watch each other now, from separate shores”.

Sat 09, May 2020 19:05 pm

WALK WITH US; STAY WITH US LORD

Beloved Parishioners,

I hope “the termites are still raising the alarm for you!” Here at the presbytery we are still breathing. At the beginning of the week we have just ended, a young man came to the parish with three trays of eggs as a donation for our upkeep. Do not accuse him of attempted murder, he was just giving his offering and made sure we did not gather around him to receive the offering. Thank you very much my dear young man. This is what I always refer to in my weekly messages; namely, that generous spirit which a number of you have exhibited. We shall always be grateful.

Have we entered our fourth week of  STAY AT HOME? I have sort of lost count, but since this is my fourth message then it is the fourth week. Hang on in there, help is on the way. I get encouraged when I see on the News, a number of people who had tested positive being discharged after they have gotten well. I salute the Doctors and all medical personnel who are working tirelessly to make this possible. That we have not yet had a recorded death due to the pandemic, is even more reason for us to thank our ever caring God. Thank you Father.

I have just said, help is on the way; indeed it is. On this Sunday when the Gospel of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is read, we find ourselves on the same road. Like the two disciples, we are also going away from Jerusalem, disappointment written all over many of our faces. A number of us thought that following Jesus Christ our Lord, meant “liberation”: like getting out of poverty, the promise of well paying jobs, being cured of all sorts of ailments, living in harmonious families, raising up obedient children, living among friendly and caring neighbors, enjoying freedom of worship, building up firm Christian Communities and so on and so forth. However, things have turned out differently. Now we find ourselves walking away from Jerusalem to Emmaus for we do not understand what Jerusalem is offering us.

But help is on the way! Jesus joins us as we walk away, and if we let him, he will help us look beyond what blinds us: things like, daily work,  worries, doubts, confusion and fear. Though we may not recognize him at first, he will not be a stranger to us for long. He will soon be to us the true risen Lord among us. It is very important that we let him walk with us and listen to what he has to say (read the word of God meditate upon it and seek its wisdom). This will open our eyes of faith and make us understand the real purpose of his coming on earth and dying on the cross. It will slowly dawn on us that he came that we may have life to the fullest. ____ Something we shall achieve only when all is accomplished in him.

We shall then be able to face the world boldly and like St. Peter, speak to anyone without fear:

‘Brothers, ….God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.’ [Acts 2:32ff]

That Holy Spirit, whom he shares with us, who transformed Peter and his companions from timid followers of  Christ to courageous  men ready to lay down their lives for him, is the same Spirit that transforms us. If we let Christ walk with us, if we listen meditatively to his word, we shall have nothing else to say except “stay with us Lord”. As sure as he is alive, when the Coronavirus pandemic comes to an end and is no more, when we can celebrate Mass together, we shall most surely recognize him at the breaking of the bread.

Let him walk with you to Emmaus.

Sat 25, Apr 2020 21:04 pm

FROM THE CROSS TO THE EASTER CANDLE

Dear parishioners of Our Lady and St. Jude Parish Naggulu,

Most of you have participated in the liturgy of the Easter Triduum through Television. Unthinkable! Those are the times we are living in. On Good Friday, you must have seen a cross covered with a red cloth being held up at the entrance of the nave (the area for the congregation). Part of the cross was unveiled and the following was proclaimed by the celebrating priest: “Behold the Wood of the Cross on which hung the salvation of the world,” the same was repeated at the center of the church; and in the front just before you enter the sanctuary. Then the very few participants came up to venerate the cross that brought us salvation. The congregation responded: “Come let us adore”  (Of course we know this from our annual celebration of Good Friday, only this time we were just watching it).

On Easter Vigil,  the Easter Candle was brought into the darkened church. It’s light illuminating the church.  In the same three places where the cross was unveiled, the priest proclaimed: “Light of Christ,” and the very few present responded, “Thanks be to God.” _______The One who hung upon the cross has brought light to a world suffering in its own darkness.

I would like to wish you a Happy Easter. I know that in the present situation here and all over the world, this may sound ridiculous (a Happy Easter?). Yes, it is the reality of life  yesterday, today and tomorrow. The symbolism of the cross and Candle I have just referred to above, brings out the picture of this life of ours. As we walk in the valleys of darkness, along comes Jesus Christ the light of the world  and shines his light among us, so we can walk along the path that leads to eternal happiness without getting lost.

Therefore again I say, Happy Easter! Although we are going through tough times, we hope for better times ahead, because our Lord accepted to shoulder all our troubles when he carried his cross and was crucified on it. On that cross hung the salvation of the world. On that cross hung your life and mine. From the cross came the candle, which shone in the darkness of our. The same one who was crucified, is the one who lights our world…. Because of his Resurrection, we too are assured of our resurrection.

Remember the symbolism; the three places where the cross was revealed are the three places where the Light of Christ is proclaimed.  In a real sense, those are two aspects of one act.  Joining Christ on the Cross, suffering with Him, results in living in His Light.

Today when all of us are in pain in some way or other, but most especially because of the threat of Covid-19; instead of focusing on ourselves, let us unite our pain to Jesus’ pain. Our concern is for others.   Our own suffering, which could turn us into ourselves, instead, through the grace of God, leads us to care for those hurting more than us.  This is how our union with the Lord on the Cross become our union with His Light, our union with His Life.  Good Friday and Easter Sunday are manifestations of God’s Love for us and our love for God. We need to unite the crosses to the candle. 

Finally, I would like to thank you all for being there for us here at the church. We have received lots of support from many of you, both materially and spiritually. Thank you very much for your concern for your priests. We shall continue to pray for you that we all get out of these hard times feeling stronger.

Have a blessed Easter.

Sat 18, Apr 2020 12:04 pm

HOLY WEEK

I welcome you all to Palm Sunday which marks the beginning of the Holy Week. In this most solemn week of the liturgical year, a week we can refer to as the most important week of the year, we witness the total self-giving of Jesus.

We join him on Palm Sunday as he triumphantly enters into Jerusalem and is welcomed, and acclaimed as the one who comes in the name of the Lord. On Holy Thursday we sit with him at the table and receive his gift of himself in the Eucharist and also thank him for giving us the Sacrament of Holy Orders. From the table, we follow him to the Garden of Olives and stay with him as he struggles with fear and anxiety about the cruel death that he is about to undergo. On Good Friday we stand at the foot of the cross with Mother Mary and the beloved disciple, and see him ‘drink’ the fourth cup then hear him say: “It is finished” as he bows and gives his spirit back to the Father.

Come Holy Saturday and we go to the tomb where we remain silent as we remember our sinful ways for which he died. Later, we walk from the darkness of all this to the light of the bright Easter fire and proceed with the Paschal candle representing Christ the light now risen to light up our lives.

Have a good Holy Week and rise with Jesus on Easter Sunday: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Sat 04, Apr 2020 15:04 pm

SEEN THE POWER OF THE ONE ABOVE ALL ?

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, has forced us to celebrate another Lenten Sunday in our homes. Our cherished six Sunday Masses at Our Lady and St. Jude are still a no go. Is there anyone who ever thought this would be happening in our lifetime? Very doubtful. We need to get out of this problem. so wherever you are spending these weeks of “stay at home”, adhere to the guidelines given by our civil and religious leaders.

As it is, we are not alone, there are many like us across the globe. Isn’t this is a wake-up call.? If we did not know, it is beginning to dawn on us, that we are like the little finger of our hand; the smallest of the five. So are we in relation to God and his mighty hand. Hopefully, this will set many of us on a reflection course and begin to seriously put ourselves in our proper position as we let God be where He must be; _________above all.

I have been doing some reflection myself. God is indeed above all. This is how the psalmist puts it:

“A mighty God is the Lord, a great king above all gods. In his hands, are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his. To him belongs the sea, for he made it, and the dry land shaped by his hand” (Ps. 95:3-5).

As my reflection went over those words from Psalm 95, I began to hum that famous hymn/song  -  ‘He’s got the whole world in his hand’. The truth of it all became clearer and clearer in my mind and sank deeper and deeper in my heart. What did I not see?

Nations were busy strengthening their economies, sports bodies strictly carrying on their regular events, businessmen and women looking for ways of making profits and expanding their investments, pastors ministering to their flocks, schools trying to go through syllabuses in time and families doing their best to be happy, etc……….: when a submicroscopic pathogen (virus) invisible to our naked eyes, struck. And when it struck, we all began to be shaken one by one, group by group and country by country. Nations started to get on their knees slowly by slowly, those who thought it would not affect them, soon realized that the bug was serious and very powerful! As in the days of Noah, so it was with us; some heard or saw what was happening elsewhere but continued with life as usual. They said they would either stop the virus from coming their way or destroy it in a matter of days. They dared it to step a foot in their territories and taste the venom of their scientific discoveries.

It is obvious that those with such or similar ideas about the virus were totally wrong. The invisible pathogen is visible everywhere in the hospitalized and the dying, the masked faces, grounded airlines, closed borders, collapsing economies and closed places of worship; just to mention but a few.

We are trying to find a solution to the problem, and no doubt by and by, we shall do so. But by that time a lot of damage will have been done! Many of us will have gone. Time to accept that we have our limitations, and to recognize that there is One who is above all -  One to whom we must bow and bend low; One who made us and to whose pasture we belong; One who leads us by his hand; One whose voice we must listen to and never harden our hearts when we hear the message.

During this fifth week of Lent, we continue to pray that Jesus Christ who was sent to make known the ONE who is above all;  he who rebuked the winds and sea; and there was a dead calm, is with us during the storm of Covid-19. no need to panic we only need to let go of our pride, have faith in him and wait for his move.

Sat 28, Mar 2020 15:03 pm

LAETARE SUNDAY! WITH COVID-19?

From the Association of Catholic Priests, Ireland, I have borrowed the following relevant situation regarding the Covid-19 crisis.

The question: Is there a Christian way of facing the Covid-19 crisis?

The answer: Is, yes there is. The author gives four characteristics:

i. We must move from “I” to “we”. He explains that “This is a frightening situation that we face together. The common good must be given first place, we will find our own good with in the common.” We should know that this is a very Christian, even a very Catholic virtue.

ii. He names the second one as an attitude of concern and compassion. Even if we must be isolated in our own homes or workplaces, modern communications allow us to stay in touch in a way that was impossible before. This is a great benefit. Staying in contact with others makes them feel that they are wanted, cared for and are not abandoned.

iii. A respect for truth, comes next. In recent years, the truth has suffered in public discourse, giving rise to a horrible expression, the post-truth era. In these days, we need to pay attention to science and medicine and less attention to opinion-makers and rumours. A society without truth cannot last. Today, right now, we need truth more than ever before.

iv. The fourth is simply a fact of Christianity. Prayer. We can pray in particular for scientists, medical personnel and politicians. These are wonderful people with a huge job of work before them. As we pray for ourselves and our families and friends, we pray too for all who look after the common good.  (Kieran O’Mahony).

___________________________

Comment

So as we go through the first Sunday of our 32 days of no church services or Mass as a community of Our Lady and St. Jude, we should look at the four points above by Kieran O’Mahony)——- and remember that the crisis that we are facing; must be faced with faith. We are Christians; not atheists, animists or whatever….

Jesus gave us a new commandment, the law of love; we must therefore not think about “I” only but turn to our neighbor and show that we are concerned about their situation, that we care and have compassion for them. We also have to be truthful about what is going on! Why should anyone want to take advantage of others by spreading untruthful information about such a dangerous virus? A Christian should definitely not be in that category. And of course the greatest weapon of them all is prayer. We Christians know that, God is the God of our salvation. We must pray to Him. He will come to our assistance.

__________________________

THAT I MAY SEE

Today as the church tells us to rejoice, there is plenty of darkness around us. We are blinded by so many ugly things happening everywhere we turn. The Virus, the injustices, political imbalances and family break-downs ; darkness! Darkness!

May the Lord throw light in this darkness; may this be an opening of our eyes so that we may see with both our body and soul. Amen

Sat 21, Mar 2020 16:03 pm

BUILDING COMMITTEE MESSAGE, MARCH 2020 NOVENA

On behalf of the Building Committee, I greet you all and welcome you home, to Our Lady & St. Jude Parish Naggulu—the National Shrine of St. Jude.

As you were previously informed; we benchmarked with similar projects, revitalized the building committee, got a technical team and agreed on the new concept designs.

Since then, the team has worked tirelessly to complete the architectural detailed designs. I am happy to report that they are now complete. The geotechnical and land surveys were done and the structural designs, ventilation, lighting, and acoustics plans are also complete.  In order to fulfill all the requirements, the following studies are now being undertaken:

• Traffic Impact Assessment
• Environment Impact Assessment
• Demolition and Excavation Plans
• Storm Water Management Plan

These studies should be finished within the next 2-3 weeks.

Arrangements are being made to move to the parish hall which shall be our place of worship during construction. We hold regular meetings every Wednesday and are working with Rev Fr. Male who is concerned with such projects in the archdiocese.

Summary of Funds received in the various initiatives from Nov 2019 – Feb 2020

Vigorous fundraising activities for the project resumed in November 2019, starting with the Christmas envelopes. We are currently running the; tent sales, kamu kamu and the Tofaali lyo mu Musingi campaign which was launched during this novena. I strongly appeal to you to participate in this initiative by contributing at least 50,000 shillings each for the foundation of the church building.

May the Almighty God continue to bless you.

Mr. Michael K. Sebalu

Vice Chairman

Building Committee

Fri 20, Mar 2020 09:03 am

Rev. Fr. Ignatius Mbaziira

This year’s Annual Retreat for the Priests of the Archdiocese of Kampala, ended with His Grace Archbishop Cyprian K. Lwanga, handing out appointment letters to a number of priests he had transferred to various parishes and institutions. Naggulu is one of the beneficiary parishes, as we have been given a young priest, Rev. Fr. Ignatius Mbaziira, as curate to serve God among us.

Below is a brief profile of the newly appointed priest to our Parish……….

Name: Fr. Ignatius Mbaziira (son of Nyansio Ssemmanda and Mauricia Nanfuka Namusoke)

Born: 22nd April, 1989.

Siblings: 12 (11 girls and a boy).

Home Parish: Mitala Maria.

Schools: St. Theresa Primary School Mitala Maria (1996-2002),  Mitala Maria Hill School (2003-2004). St. Balikuddembe SSS Mitala Maria (2005-2008), St. Mbaaga's Major Seminary, Ggaba (2009-2017).

Ordained Deacon: 13th August, 2016. (Lubaga)

Ordained Priest: 12th August 2017. (Lubaga)

First Appointment: Curate St. Matia Mulumba Parish, Nakawuka (10th Oct. 2017-10th Oct. 2018)

Second Appointment: Curate St. Peter's Parish, Kanyanya (10th Oct. 2018-1st Feb. 2020)

Third Appointment: Curate Our Lady and St. Jude Parish, Naggulu (1st Feb. 2020-).

Rev. Fr. Ignatius Mbaziira

Thu 06, Feb 2020 10:02 am

OH COME LET US ADORE HIM!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the hustle and bustle that leads up to our celebration of Christmas, many of us find ourselves asking, "What's it all about?" We sometimes wonder in the rush, the stress and the hurry, whether we have somehow missed the real meaning of it all. I have been pondering over this question myself as I prepare for Christmas, and I hope that some of my reflections might help us tune our minds relatively into this celebration of the birth of Christ, the Prince of peace.

Christmas is, first and foremost, about Love, God's Love. How much does God love us? He loves us so much that He gave us the most precious gift imaginable, His own Son Jesus Christ! That's the  heart of Christmas!

This great and wonderful love calls us to love one another, to share love through our human relationships. Love isn't always a warm and cozy feeling; it is a commitment and a decision to stick by others, come what may, through thick and thin, when the going is easy and when the going gets more challenging. The love that we share in our human relationships is a reflection of the love of God, calling us to give of ourselves to others.

At Christmas, we remember that Jesus was born in poverty, in a stable among the poorest people and farm animals. What does this mean to us today? We are called to look for the face of Christ in the poor, those in our own communities and in places away from us. Love can be a plate of food offered, a hand held, a smile shared, or comforting and consoling words shared with a challenged brother or sister, in our communities. I believe that, in the end, we shall also be judged by how much we cared for the needy.

Christmas is also about repentance of our sins and forgiveness of those who wrong us and also to those we wrong.  None of us is perfect, but with God there is mercy, forgiveness, and a second chance. Therefore, let us use the opportunity of God’s mercy to renew our lives with fresh starts, and well thought resolutions to create a better society for the new year.

We often hear the phrase "Keep Christ in Christmas" and we wonder how that is done! I think that Jesus himself gave us the best insight; if you want to keep Christ in Christmas, look around you, and look for Him. Here he is……feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give someone a shoulder to lean on, forgive the guilty, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, and love your enemies.

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for me!”

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all! Kindly accept my sincere and heartfelt appreciation to each one of you individually for all the love and support you have extended to our Parish, may the good Lord reward you and bless you all.

May we, like Mary and Joseph, listen to God’s direction in our lives so that we can experience the love of Christ at Christmas! And may we share that Christmas gift with others every day by WORD and DEED.

Shalom!

Margaret Sheila Matovu

Fri 27, Dec 2019 11:12 am