Nairobi, 16 October, 2024 / 11:20 am (ACI Africa).
The Nuncio in Kenya has encouraged those in marriage and in Religious life to have patience in the challenges they face, emulating St. Daniel Comboni who endured hard labour, unbearable climate, sickness, the deaths of several of his young fellow-missionaries while he served in Africa.
In his address on Sunday, October 13, on the occasion of the double celebrations of Family Day and Golden Jubilee of St. Daniel Comboni Parish, Utawala, of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi (ADN), Archbishop Hubertus van Megen said enduring challenges with perseverance and prayer is key to fulfilling one's vocation, whether as a missionary or a married person.
Archbishop van Megen reflected on the hardships that the Italian-born saint endured in total humility in the central African region that saw him found the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ).
“To be part of the Comboni family, you need patience. In religious life, especially within the Comboni family, it’s about praying, breathing, and hoping to survive the hardships,” the Archbishop explained, adding that the same approach is necessary in marriage, where he said patience is often tested through frustrations.
Describing marriage and religious life as “a mission of presence, with few visible results,” Archbishop van Megen said, “You need great patience and perseverance, which can only come from trusting in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
