Swallowed by this “monster” in his belly – like an Easter tomb or a cave of a new birth – I experienced the strong presence and loving tenderness of the Lord. And my heart didn’t fear anymore!
Now I seem to be in the mouth of the whale, domesticated and friendly, which pulpit from where I continue my mission to proclaim the gospel. I look at the world around through the eyes of the “cetacean”, and I see two very different scenarios. From one eye, I keep contemplating this side of life, which I continue to love and appreciate more than ever; and from the other, I can already gaze scrutinize the horizon on the other bank: if somewhat shrouded in mist, its light attracts more and more.
Easter 2012
Let us walk through this open Door
Rome, Easter 2012
Dear friends,
We are entering the heart of the Christian Mystery: the celebration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord. I would like to live this Easter in a very special communion with you.
“My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with my disciples” (Mt 26:18) In the Cenacle of our heart, where Christ wants to celebrate his Easter, I welcome you with joy, Jesus and each of you. I welcome you in my intimacy with deep gratitude for the place you have given me in your hearts.
In my experience of illness (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: ALS), I give thanks to God for the precious gift of your friendship that I receive as a manifestation of His tenderness, made visible in the many gestures of affection and sympathy, attention and service, solidarity and prayer. I feel led by the Lord, constantly surrounded by his Love incarnated in the people around me, those that stand beside me and the more distant. Sometimes I feel even confused because I know that I do not deserve such kindness. But precisely for this reason, I welcome it with an added sense of gratitude, because of its divine gratuity.
As for my wealth situation, I continue peacefully my “race”, the heart relying on the Lord and the body leaning on my two crutches, inseparable daily companions. I try to live with the disease, which is now fully at home, although its company isn’t always pleasant (as I was told by a friend: “we must keep our wife even if we do not like it!”). Anyway, life goes on with its exuberance of colors, events, meetings… Always beautiful and offering us NEW OPPORTUNITIES! …
Easter is the Feast of the Triumph of Life, which assures us that now we have nothing to fear! God fulfills his promise: “Behold, I open your graves, and I’ll get you out of your graves, O my people” (Ezekiel 37:12). The Lord, the Great Winner, will roll back the big stone of our tombs to chase all darkness from our heart! Where death had apparently put an end to any hope, a door was opened to a new and wonderful CHANCE OF LIFE.
Let us walk through this open Door:
Let us move towards LIGHT, let us taste true LIFE!
Yours
Manuel João Pereira Correia
New Year 2013
Kissed and blessed
Rome, New Year 2013
Dear friends,
This year I missed the Christmas appointment with you. I mean the “epistolary encounter.” Maybe because I had few news to share. But also because now it is becoming more difficult for me to write. My heart, however, could not find peace – on this 1st January 2013, Day of Peace – without wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
May it be really a NEW YEAR! A virgin year, like the candid snowy Christmas landscapes: 365 days of blank pages, ready to be filled, in prose or poetry, by a plethora of happy surprises, joyful events and the challenges that may come our way… A life fully appreciated in its bittersweet varied flavors that give each day a different taste.
May it be the beginning of a NEW LIFE! Written in golden letters. Like our childhood dreams or the great ideals of our youth. Who has not felt – at least momentarily – the presence of that dreaming Child in our heart? How many dreams have we expressed – in the form of desires or wishes – toasting the New Year!?…
Our heart is an inexhaustible well of WISHES! The pity is that we believe in them only for a few moments, on the 1st day of the year. The next day, we pick up again the old “clothes” and habits to return to the daily chores. Back to work, we greet colleagues and friends auguring them a “good new-year”, but our wishes are already slightly discolored and said with a half-smile. In a few days more everything has finished. And after the party… the nasty surprise: disguised in the “new” year, reappears the “old” one with a cynical smile!…
I think, however, that all our wishes and desires, the deepest and most authentic ones, are all possible. Just welcome the Christmas GIFT of God: his Child Jesus. But you cannot see Him unless you have the eyes of a child! Like the ones of that little girl who prepared a nice gift for her father. Opening it in the New Year’s Eve, he was perplexed: the small box was empty! But he was even more astonished when his daughter told him: “Don’t you see, papa? It is full! I blew inside 365 kisses for you!…
After all, everyone yearns for kisses, i.e. for love! “Kiss Me Him with the kisses of his mouth,” is the first wish of the Bride in the Book of Song of Songs (1:2). Only love satisfies! Only love gives a taste of life! Only love – received and shared – makes our hearts happy!
So here is my personal wish: do not forget to collect every morning – like the manna in the desert – the KISS OF GOD, the one His Child has dropped tenderly in your heart. So every day will be new, regenerated mysteriously during the night, welcomed with gratitude from the creative hand of the Father. You will enter the new day “kissed” and “blessed”, with a strong desire to bless and smile to all those who come your way.
To receive that Kiss and live in the Blessing of God, day after day, I made the resolution to be led by two (Hebrew) words, as my permanent companions like my two crutches. They are, AYEKA – HINENI.
Ayeka is the first question that appears in the Bible, addressed by God to Adam, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). Hineni, “Here am I”, is the immediate and generous response to God’s call, like the one given by Abraham (Gen. 22:1), Moses (Ex. 3:4), Samuel (1 Sam. 3:4), Isaiah (Is. 6:8)… Here am I – on this spot and time unique and unrepeatable – ready to welcome the God’s visit!
Ayeka? Where are you? Half-immobilized in a wheelchair by the disease (called ALS), I can’t escape and go far away (although with my motorized-chair I still do my “strolls” around the house and the park, enjoying the scents and colors of nature, and the beautiful sunning days of Rome!). But each of us has his own “escaping” strategies. All of them, after all, childish like the one of Adam and Eve.
It would be my strong desire to respond to the Ayeka? of God and my brothers and sisters’ requests with a ready and generous: Hineni! Here am I! Each day and moment guided by this DIALOGUE: Ayeka? – Hineni! With the assurance also that when I will cry to God, Ayeka? Where are you?, He will respond promptly, Hineni! Here am I! (Is. 58:9).
As for other personal news, I have little more to add. I’m still in Rome, working in the team responsible for ongoing formation in our Comboni institute. The disease continues its course. After the legs, now my arms are failing too!… But, thanks to God, serenity has not abandoned me. I continue to face this stage of life as a NEW OPPORTUNITY for growth and fecundity, and therefore I praise the Lord!
Pray that my Hineni to His Will may be always prompt and cheerful. I will do the same for you.
Yours affectionately,
Manuel João Pereira Correia
Christmas 2013
An Easter tomb or a cave of a new birth?
Rome, Nativity of the Lord 2013
Dear friends,
I started this letter already some time ago, when I had to announce my departure from Rome to Portugal. It was prepared to travel on the 29th October 2013 to Viseu, a city in the center-north of the country, where our confreres had recently opened a home for the sick and elderly. It would be a return to my roots and to the starting point of my missionary adventure. In our seminary of Viseu, in fact, I began my vocational journey in 1962, when I was just ten years old. It would be also my last “place of mission”. But I am still here, in Rome. One week before my departure I was invited to try a new therapy, and so the departure from Rome has been postponed sine die.
On that occasion I had made a re-reading of this present phase of my life, in the light of the vocation of the prophet Jonah, read in the liturgy of those days. His story has accompanied me for several years. I remember the day I celebrated the last Eucharist leaving Rome in 2001 to return in Africa. In the liturgy we were reading the story of this prophet. Preparing my luggage, I saw myself in the sailors who were trying to lighten the boat by throwing away the baggage… But above all I saw myself in Jonah thrown into the sea, as I felt called to abandon myself entirely in the hands of the Lord for a new adventure. Then the symbol of the whale came to my mind when, three years ago, I was diagnosed with the disease of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Swallowed by this “monster” in his belly – like an Easter tomb or a cave of a new birth – I experienced the strong presence and loving tenderness of the Lord. And my heart didn’t fear anymore!
Now I seem to be in the mouth of the whale, domesticated and friendly, which pulpit from where I continue my mission to proclaim the gospel. I look at the world around through the eyes of the “cetacean”, and I see two very different scenarios. From one eye, I keep contemplating this side of life, which I continue to love and appreciate more than ever; and from the other, I can already gaze scrutinize the horizon on the other bank: if somewhat shrouded in mist, its light attracts more and more .
I do not know where I will lay the whale , driven by a mysterious design : whether on the beach where I started over 50 years ago (Viseu ) or directly on the other side . Or … on the edge of a new and unknown mission? ! In fact, at night I sprout wings and travel a lot. I often dream of being in the new lands of the mission, where I see myself in learning new languages , getting to know other people , to start new adventures! … Too bad that the “dream” is like the morning dew that disappears with the first rays of the sun.
What can I say more? I continue my calm and confident ride in the belly of the mysterious whale. Belly spacious enough to allow me some raid with the new electric wheelchair (my Ferrari ! ) , With quite a few concerns of the members , who would like to impose on me the speed limit in my forays through the hallways of our house in Rome. I’m glad and happy as a clam ! Thanks to all of you who are a reflection of God’s tenderness towards me. Thanks to my guardian angel , Father Inacio , who has generously placed at my disposal his hands and his feet .
I know that I must finish this letter before the whale starts to yawn of boredom and bring me to meatballs ! …
A happy and holy celebration of the birth of Jesus! And for the new year 2014, I would say to each of you : ” Lega your wagon to a star ” to Bethlehem, and every day of the new year will be illuminated . And in any event – as dark and menacing – there is a new opportunity in life, because everything is grace ! What was the illness for me !
I wish you all , then , eyes lighting ¬ born to seize all the OPPORTUNITIES that certainly will offer you the new year 2014 !
A hug friend
Manuel João Pereira Correia
Easter 2014
Explosion of life and joy
Rome, Easter 2014
Easter is coming! Life is coming! Our eyes and our senses can perceive it and contemplate it everywhere around us. In the various colours of the lush of nature, promptly awakened by the spring sun after the long winter hibernation. In the delicate scents of flowers, buds and luxuriant meadows. In the gentle breeze that caresses our face. In the cheerful chirping of the birds as they greet the blue sky. In the fresh aromas of the first products and fruits of the new season… Everywhere there is an explosion of life and joy. But all of this is only a sign of something else.
Easter is coming! Life is coming! Everywhere echoes the joyful cry of the Risen Christ, the conqueror of death, the Lord of Life. The new Era is coming, that of our humanity, the Dream hidden in the heart of history! This is the hidden message brought by the new moon of springtime.
For how long the extinguished ashes of our hopes have been laying in the tomb of our heart? For the last four days, as the remains of Lazarus? For the last forty days as the ashes we received at the beginning of Lent, waiting for the new fire of Easter vigil? Or even for the last forty years, as the people of Israel who left their dead behind, in the sand of the desert?
Hope is not our particularly strong point. Especially when we get to the crucial and impassable moment of death. As long as there is life – but only up to that point – there is hope. “If you had come earlier, our brother would not have died… but now it’s too late,” the two sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, seem to say. Beyond that fateful crossing, only faith – if barely – still manages to take a few steps. But once we cross the threshold of the “fourth day”, at the beginning of the decay, then there is nothing more we can do. And it seems that not even God can do something about it. We are left just with compassion to mourn our dead.
And so, with the passage of time, our heart becomes a large graveyard filled with the graves of shattered dreams, stifled desires, dashed expectations, unfulfilled promises, lost friends and relatives, accumulated sufferings…
How to let the light filter into these catacombs of ours? There’s a secret way! Somewhere in our heart there is a garden where we have dug a new tomb. A way to tame our death. Well, do as Joseph of Arimathea did. Stand up, declare yourself to be a disciple of Christ, ask for his body and lovingly offer him that tomb of yours. There lay down the body of Jesus. You’ll see how, on the third day, that tomb will explode with Light, Life and Joy. All the graves of your graveyard will then be opened. Your many “Lazzarus” will come out, awaken by Jesus. He will invite you to unbind them and let them go. Some to leave you and reach in peace the Father’s house, without feeling bound by your continued regret. Others to still accompany you on the paths of life, as dreams, promises and passions enlivened by the Spirit of the Risen Lord.
Love is the secret of life and joy. Love conquers death. Love feeds the flame of hope and supports the fragility of faith to make it capable of dealing with the “fourth day”. From my wheelchair, as disabled and sufferer from SLA, I would like to shout: the only true disability is dystrophy of the heart and the inability to love, which paralyzes and turns us to stones.
I wish you all a JOYFUL AND HOLY EASTER CELEBRATION. May the Sun of the Risen Christ’s Spring enter deep into our scepticism, darkness and coldness of our heart, to awaken hope, faith and love. Then Life and Joy will erupt within us. And we will finally emerge from the long night, toward the dawn of the new and eternal Springtime.
Manuel João Pereira Correia, mccj
Epiphany 2015
From riches … to rags!
Epiphany of the Lord 2015
Dear friends,
A few days ago, during a conversation, a friend uttered a (Romanian) saying that got me thinking: “We all look at the same star but not at the same soup.” We are all united when we look up to the sky; we are all divided when we look down to the earth. Life often induces us to look down, driven by our own basic needs. On the other hand, perhaps we are too disheartened and tired of looking up: our sky has turned gloomy, it no longer shines, and the stars have been switched off!
But, behold, in these days the sky has been torn open and a Star has come down upon the earth. A song punctuated by a thousand melodies resounded in the air gently inviting us to follow the Star. The sky has become friendly, enlightening the path … Where has the Star gone to settle down? In the “stable” that we carry in our hearts, right there in our “crib”, that is in our ‘tray’, where our ‘ox’ and our ‘donkey’ go to feed. In Bethlehem (“house of bread”) there won’t be hunger any more. The Star, the Son of God, has become “flesh” to become our Bread!
“The Word was made flesh,” exclaimed the apostle John. The flesh of a child, who smiles, suffers and cries. Yes, the Mystery has to do with the “FLESH”, our flesh which is fragile. The flesh of our bodies, that the years and pains soon make wither, like an unknown flower of the field. And it is this flesh of ours that the Love wanted to espouse and array for glory!
“Epiphany carries away all festivities,” says the proverb. May the Star, though, remain in the ‘stable’ of our heart! Also because 2015 is the International Year of the Light. How could we, otherwise, shed light? We would be like dead stars or even “black holes” that swallow and destroy every ray of light that falls into their range! For this I would like to bless each of you with the words suggested by the liturgy of 1st January (Book of Numbers 6, 25): “May the Lord let his face shine (smile) on you!” Yes, may His blessing smile accompany you everywhere! And, then, also our face will light up. Being blessed … we shall bless, always and everywhere! So we will be a permanent “epiphany” (manifestation) of the Lord.
As for me, I continue in Rome (since I left the mission in Africa, at the end of 2010, after I had been diagnosed with ALS). I am well and happy. I live happily with my very little sympathetic companion, the sclerosis, which has by now inexorably tied me to her: feet, arms, hands, torso, neck … But it has not yet managed to get me to espouse her! As I’m still able to escape from her with my ‘Ferrari’, that is, with my electric wheelchair! … I must admit that it has granted me quite a few privileges: from the courteous ones reserved to an “invalid”, to the friendly attention of the confreres and friends (and the many kisses of female friends, which every night without fail I return to my dear little Therese!). Not to mention the generosity of God, made Bread in the Eucharist. Every day the Star descends on my poor stable, flooding it with Light. It becomes incarnate in my sick body and through my own lips it says: “This is My body.” And when I say “This is the cup of my blood,” I feel myself to be also his Cup, to receive His blood and the blood of those bodies in which He continues to bleed, and the tears of those who come to confide in me their sufferings.
I entrust myself to your prayers so that I may always SMILE to LIFE.
Yours,
Fr. Manuel João Pereira Correia
Rome 10th August 2016
TOWARDS MY LAST BUT ONE MISSION
Dear friends,
May the peace of the Lord be with you, wherever you are: whether (I hope!) relaxing in nature or whether worrying for the occupations and problems of life.
I wish to inform you that, in a few days, I will be leaving Rome to go to Verona. This time it’s for real, not like three years ago, after having said good bye to return to Portugal: it seemed like a prank, since at the end I did not go! Next Monday, August 15, I will celebrate the anniversary of my ordination with this community of mine in Rome, which has welcomed me over the past years. Afterwards, the following day, I shall leave for Verona.
They have assigned me to a community where I can have a more attentive and qualified care. My inseparable companion, the ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) will not let go of me. In late April I was hospitalized for a respiratory crisis (I confess that, like the prophet Elijah, I cried out “Lord, let me die!”). For the first time, I occupied a bed reserved for people with ALS. So, given the development of the disease, my superiors offered me a transfer to a centre recently opened for our sick confreres.
We missionaries are trained to always be ready to leave. But after 18 years of living in Rome (5 as a student, 8 at the service of the General Administration, and now 5 as a sick person), I have put down – I must say – a few roots. Roots at the feet but especially at the heart, given the number of friends with whom the Lord has blessed me. Yes, I will suffer from nostalgia when thinking of Rome, thinking about the house (where I lived the longest period of life), the trees of the park and most of all of you, my friends.
I leave, though, with serenity. This is my response to the latest call of God to abandon my certainties and to go elsewhere, in “mission”. This is the MISSION BEFORE MY LAST ONE (since the last one is the one assigned to us in Heaven!). I am preparing myself to go through it with the commitment and generosity of the workers of the “eleventh hour” of the Gospel parable.
I do not go away alone. I will carry all of you in my heart. I am very grateful for the friendship you have given me. I know I did not deserve it, but that is why I am even more grateful to the Lord, because it is gratuitous. Your friendship has been for me the best medicine in moments of trial. Your prayer has produced in me the miracle of serenity and joy which have always accompanied me in my illness. May the Lord bless you!
We shall meet in the heart of Christ!
Yours,
Father Manuel João Pereira Correia
