To:
The
priests, the religious
and all God's people
and all God's people
Dear brothers and sisters in
Christ,
Peace!
“A voice is heard in
Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly:
it is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted because they are no more” (Jer 31:15).
it is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted because they are no more” (Jer 31:15).
Jeremiah's words quoted also
by Matthew (2: 17 – 18) sadly resound once again among us.
We mourn
the death of so many young girls at the accident on Friday 28 August 2015.
Let this be a time of
prayer. I ask you
all from today until next Sunday (06 September) to pray daily for those who died asking the Lord to
welcome them home. Let us also pray for their families and friends
that “the God of
all consolation”
(2 Cor 1:3) gives them peace and strength.
May it be a time of deep
reflection in our lives. “‘Who,
then, is the wise and trustworthy servant whom the master placed over
his household to give them their food at the proper time?” (Mt
24:45) Each one of us had been entrusted by God with the safety and
dignity of these young people. Aside from those directly responsible
for Friday's accident, we need to ask ourselves if there was anything
more we could have done to prevent it. Why do we wait until something
like this happens before we take every single life seriously?
Let it be a time of
solidarity. I call
on you all to be close to the families of these children and to
support them in every possible way.
The Catholic Church in
Swaziland is grateful for the prayer and solidarity messages from
Cardinal Napier OFM and Archbishop Brislin in the name of the
Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC).
Fraternally
Yours in Christ,
+ José Luis Ponce de León IMC
Bishop of Manzini
+ José Luis Ponce de León IMC
Bishop of Manzini
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