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Sunday, September 10, 2017

The beauty and the scaring






The beauty and the scaring
Sunday, September 3rd (this is the scaring part) a group of Seleka rebels were present in Ndim area, a village 160 km from Bozoum. The region has been under tension for months, and rebel groups go, come and stay, controlling the border with Cameroon and Chad. They carry on their everyday life trough theft, looting, violence, and "taxing" the few merchants taking courage to go to supply cities and country sides with basic essentials. On Sunday they came to Ndim, and they took the mayor, a very smart woman, and the parish priest, the polish capuchin Father Robert. The Father was insulted because he defended people and denounced what is going on in that area. He was also beaten and brutally tortured. The people took courage managing to obtain his freedom.
It is very worrying what happened, because they were clearly intent on scaring and silencing the few people who denounce criminals. They scare not only them, but also everyone who, by incompetence and lack of real good will, keep silent, such as the Government and the UN Peace Keepers.
The beauty part ... is the last work done in church: the two pillars supporting the Tabernacle and the statue of Saint Michael, the Church's Saint Patron, needed to be restored. I had planned to make a wooden sculpture, but the artist, after receiving a down payment, disappeared! So we changed the idea switching into a painting instead. The artist is the same who last year painted the Apostles and all the decorations. The artistic work is just finished: are very simple decorations, but looking brilliant because of the bright colors. And above all, they draw attention to the Tabernacle, where there is the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus. And St. Michael too catches the attention: four angels look like flying around cheerfully.
It is important, especially when the scary moments seem to prevail, bring and create Beauty, which, by the way, is one of God's names.

P.S.: Last Sunday's chicken, the one that travelled 50km, is fine. As for now!










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