SAFCAM Communique #63 - English

SAFCAM Communique #62            07/08/2021        

Dear Subscribers

The first week of August is past already, and there’s soooo much happening around the world, it is difficult to keep up. The Olympics and the Coronavirus pandemic including the various controversies regarding vaccines, get the most attention. But there are devastating floods, fires, famines, droughts; tragic bombings, protests, terror attacks and armed conflicts,… Natural disasters are grave enough to concern us, but the unnecessary human-provoked calamities are so much more disturbing. We have a long list of intentions to pray for, but we feel quite helpless to make any concrete difference in transforming the world for the better… Can we even make a small impact to prevent the harmful breakdown of UBUNTU, healthy cultural traditions, the natural family unit which as the womb of the faith, the first school of love and the minor seminary of vocations, besides being the foundational cell of a healthy society? Can we, through educating to true values and evangelizing with gospel principles, assist young people to resist the growth of individualism and materialism which are being worsened by woke-ideology, cancel-culture, and the confusion created by CSE and the crazy gender agenda…? 

Motivated by HOPE, let us never grow discouraged! Our times are no worse than Don Bosco’s!

But we can thank God for some good news every now and then…

USA’s Sydney McLaughlin Breaks Own World Record for Gold and for God.

McLaughlin (a past-pupil from a Catholic school) thanked God following her record-breaking performance. “The face of a woman who is in awe of God”, she posted to Instagram, next to her winning photo. “I could feel this event was going to be something special… but MAN”, she continued, “weeks like these are some of the hardest in a track athlete’s life. The mental strain of preparing for the rounds in order to solidify your spot is heavy enough. But the amount of weight the Lord took off my shoulders, is the reason I could run so freely yesterday. My faith was being tested all week. From bad practices, to 3 false start delays, to a meet delay. I just kept hearing God say, ‘Just focus on me.’ It was the best race plan I could have ever assembled. I no longer run for self-recognition, but to reflect His perfect will that is already set in stone. I don’t deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. Thank you, Father.” (See more and photo on safcam.org)

Meanwhile, despite the health and travel restrictions, around 50,000 young people gathered for the annual youth festival in Medjugorje from the 1-6^th August. Pope Francis sent them a message asking the young people to pray and follow Christ: “Friends, to each of you too Jesus says: ‘Come! Follow me.’ Have the courage to live your youth by entrusting yourselves to the Lord and setting out with him. Let yourselves be conquered by his loving gaze that frees us from the seduction of idols, from the false riches that promise life but bring death.”

Similarly, several thousands have been gathered in Taizé for the past week, in the annual lead-up to the feast of the Transfiguration. The only part of the Salesian world where such festivals take place annually is in South America, particularly Brazil. When will we launch an annual salesian festival for youth in Africa gathering at least 10,000? Come-on CIVAM Youth Ministry commission. There’s a challenge!