Day 10: Jesus Smiled Today

I already had this title chosen before I even got out of bed because I knew where we were going. But, I didn’t expect to see a bronze statue of Jesus actually smiling in a scene that matches my topic. Look closely at his face in the picture.

The priests in Uganda are working extremely hard to care for their flock. A single parish will have 3 or 4 priests assigned to it for around 30 outposts and about 20,000 Catholics. They will go to two outposts on a Sunday spending 2-4 hours at each one delivering the sacraments. They only make it to each outpost once every month or two so the people want as much of the priest’s time as they can get. The journey to and from these outposts is long and bumpy. At some their vehicle can’t even make it all of the way so they eventually have to get out and walk. Our running joke with Fr Jude is that he needs to ask for directions unlike American men. I think Jesus has a look of exhaustion on his face as he carries these Sheperds of Souls over the bountiful hills in Africa. Jesus smiles though when he sees the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. After three weeks in Uganda over the past 6 years the greatest take-away by far is that God’s little children are being loved and cared for by nuns throughout the world especially in Uganda just as the Blessed Virgin Mary cared for the Child Jesus. They are searching for the marginalized and loving them when no one else does. We saw it today in their care for the disabled who have been abandoned or orphaned. We saw it at the orphanage for 5 month old babies up to six years old. We have seen the results of their work over the past years plus years in the schools, health clinics and churches that they have built.

Until I journaled tonight I thought the best part of the day was meeting Fr Jude’s baby sister who will take her fist vows in a year and a half. It topped walking where St. JP2 walked. Better than seeing the boda-boda fight in a city where 300 pedestrians die in a year after being hit by one. (That was almost me today as I ran across the road.) The pinnacle of my day was right in the middle. That is when Jesus was smiling the from ear to ear. But you’ll have to come back on Day 12 to hear about it because it is bedtime and I’m heading to the Feast of the Ugandan martyrs tomorrow which is expected to have two million people attend. God bless all the sisters of the world!