Tafakari ya Neno la Mungu Jumapili ya tano ya Kipindi cha Mwaka wa A wa Kanisa

Tunaendelea na kipindi chetu tafakari Neno la Mungu masomo Dominika ya V ya mwaka A. Masomo yanatualika kuwa chumvi na mwanga wa dunia. Katika somo la kwanza, Nabii Isaya anatualika kuwalisha na kuwavika maskini.
Katika kutenda kazi hiyo tunakumbuka Heri walio maskini wa roho maana ufalme wa mbinguni ni wao. Kwa njia ya Nabii Isaya, Bwana anatangaza matokeo ya kazi njema hiyo, akisema nuru itakuzukia kama asubuhi na afya yako itakuwa njema na haki daima itakutangulia. Nabii Isaya haishii katika hayo bali pia anatangaza kuwa sala ya mwenye kutenda huduma kwa walio maskini itasikikika daima na hapa ndipo kuna furaha timilifu katika mapenzi yake Mwenyezi Mungu. 

Uaguzi wa Nabii Isaya unakuja wakati Waisrael wametoka utumwani Babilonia katika karne ya 5KK. Katika kipindi hicho, Waisraeli walitarajia kuwa mateso yangekuwa yamekwisha, lakini badala yake yaliendelea. Basi kwa kuwa katika nyakati za kale kama kulitokea shida fulani watu walifunga, ni katika mlengo huo basi, Waisraeli walifunga na kusali ili maisha yao yaweze kukaa sawasawa. Pamoja na jambo jema hilo la kufunga shida iliendelea yaani matajiri waliendelea kuwanyonya maskini. 

Ni katika madhulumu haya Waisraeli walianza kumlalamikia Mungu, kwa nini mambo hayabadiliki na hivi wakaanza kusema haina haja ya kufunga! Hapa ndipo sasa Nabii Isaya anakuja na jibu akisema Mungu hana kosa lolote, isipokuwa sala na kufunga kwenu hakufikii kiwango cha kumpendeza Mungu. Mungu anataka sala na kufunga kuliko na mzizi katika huduma kwa maskini na wenye taabu mbalimbali katika jumuiya yenu. Mpendwa sala yako ikoje?

Katika Somo la Pili Mt. Paulo anazidi kutangaza nguvu ya Mungu ambayo huongoza wahubiri wa Neno lake. Ndiyo kusema hakuna mhubiri anayeweza kujitapa yakwamba anatangaza injili kwa nguvu zake mwenyewe. Anawaalika Wakorinto watambue kuwa Neno na ujumbe wa Mungu haulali katika ufasaha na hekima ya kibinadamu kama watu wenye hekima katika kizazi hicho cha Wakorinto bali ni nguvu ya Msalaba wa Kristo mfufuka. Yeye mwenyewe anakiri kuwa hakuja kuonesha hekima yake bali kumjua Kristu tu na ndiyo shime yake. Ndiyo kusema anakiri udhaifu wake ambao utamruhusu aombe msaada toka kwa Mungu. 

Katika kitabu cha Matendo ya Mitume 20:9 inaonekana Mt. Paulo alipokuwa anahubiri kuna baadhi walianza hata kusinzia na kijana mmojawapo alianguka kupitia dirishani toka gorofa ya tatu! Ataka kusema nini? Ataka kusema ufasaha hauna nguvu bali Mungu mwenyewe katika Roho Mtakatifu. Na kama ingekuwa ufasaha ni wa maana, basi kijana huyu asingeingia katika shida ya usingizi. Hili halikumtisha Mt. Paulo bali Injili iliendelea kuhubiriwa na kuenea katika Ukorinto yote. Mpendwa unayenisikiliza Neno lenyewe lina nguvu bila madoido yetu, yafaa kuwa na imani thabiti.

Katika Injili ya Matayo, ujumbe na mwaliko ni ”kuweni chumvi na nuru”, na kwa namna hiyo kuangaza mbele ya watu na watu wayaone matendo yenu na wamtukuze Mungu. Mwinjili anatumia mfano wa chumvi na nuru, ambazo ni alama tumika katika nyakati za kale. Chumvi humaanisha mambo kadhaa: chumvi huleta radha kwenye chakula na hivi toka zamani ilimaanisha hekima na busara. Hata hivi leo utasikia watu wakisema, jamaa ana chumvi katika kichwa chake, wakimaanisha ana hekima na busara katika utendaji wake. Ndiyo kusema Wafuasi wa Kristo lazima watoe maneno yaliyo ya maana yaani yaliyojaa hekima ya kimungu na si bulaabulaa!

Jaribu kufikiri kama Neno la Mungu lisingekuwa Neno la furaha wapi tungepata matumaini! Wapi tungepata kutambua kuvumilia taabu na madhulumu katika maisha yetu! Wakristo ni lazima watoe radha ya kikristo ili maisha ya watu yawe ni maisha ya furaha na matumaini.

Mpendwa msomaji, chumvi si tu radha bali pia hutumika kutunza vyakula vizioze! Wakristo kwa maana hiyo lazima wawe watunzaji wa maisha ya watu katika ulimwengu huu. Uwepo wa Wakristu katika ulimwengu ni msaada ili mwanadamu asianguke katika unyanganyi na ufisadi na hivi dunia ikaangukia katika kuongozwa na misingi ya shetani.

Mpendwa msomaji, kwa kawaida chumvi haipotezi radha yake, sasa iweje Bwana aseme chumvi iliyoharibika? Bwana katika hili ataka kutuambia kuwa kama mhubiri anaacha kumtegemea Mungu na hivi anaweka mambo yake mbele basi ile hali ya Injili uchafuliwa ingawa Injili yenyewe hubaki, lakini kuna uozo huo ambao huchelewesha kasi yake.
Mpendwa mwana tafakari Bwana anatumia mfano wa mwanga akitaka waamini wawe mwanga unaoangaza wengine ili waweze kuona. Kama ambavyo jua huangaza ili tuone vema basi nasi vivyohivyo kwa wengine. Mwanga unao wajibu wa kuangaza kumbe hatuweki macho yetu kwenye mwanga bali kwa kile chema kinachotendwa na mwanga.

Wakristo si mwanga bali wanategemewa kutenda yaliyomema yaani matendo ya mwanga. Wakristo kwa vyovyote vile lazima wabaki wamejificha, kwa sababu ukitazama jua moja kwa moja utaharibu macho, kumbe tunachotakiwa kuona ni hospitali, vituo vya watoto yatima, shule na mambo yote mema yaani matendo ya mwanga. Mpendwa ni kwa njia ya matendo haya Injili ya Bwana inasonga mbele kwa kasi mpaka miisho yote ya dunia.
Nikutakie furaha na matumaini katika kuwa mwanga na chumvi ya dunia. Tumsifu Yesu Kristo.

Tafakari hii imeletwa kwako na Padre Richard Tiganya C.PP.S.

Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo II kutangazwa kuwa Msimamizi wa Siku za Vijana Duniani

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko anawaalika vijana kujiandaa kikamilifu kwa ajili ya Maadhimisho ya Siku ya 29 ya Vijana Duniani kwa Mwaka 2014 itakayoadhimishwa katika ngazi ya Kijimbo, Jumapili ya Matawi, ambayo kwa Mwaka huu inaadhimishwa hapo tarehe 13 Aprili.

Hii ni siku ambayo Maaskofu watazungukwa na umati wa vijana kutoka katika majimbo yao ili kufanya tafakari ya kina kuhusu kauli mbiu ya inayoongoza Maadhimisho haya: "Heri walio maskini wa roho maana ufalme wa mbinguni ni wao". Hii ni sehemu ya muhtasari wa mafundisho makuu ya Yesu yanayopatikana katika Heri za Mlimani. 

Baraza la Kipapa la Walei linasema, huu ni ujumbe ambao unatolewa kwa mara ya kwanza kwa vijana na Baba Mtakatifu Francisko tangu alipochaguliwa kuwa Khalifa wa Mtakatifu Petro. Ni mwendelezo wa changamoto ya majiundo endelevu iliyoanzishwa na Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo II na kuendelezwa kwa ari kubwa na Baba Mtakatifu mstaafu Benedikto wa kumi na sita.

Papa Francisko bado anakumbuka ule umati wa vijana kutoka sehemu mbali mbali za dunia uliomzunguka wakati wa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Vijana Duniani kwa Mwaka 2013 iliyofanyika mjini Rio de Janeiro. Baba Mtakatifu anaendeleza yale majadiliano ya kina kati yake na vijana yaliyoibuliwa wakati wa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Vijana Duniani.

Kumbe, ujumbe wa Baba Mtakatifu kwa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Vijana Kijimbo kwa Mwaka huu, ni sehemu ya maandalizi ya hija ya maisha ya kiroho, itakayofanyika katika kipindi cha miaka mitatu kuanzia sasa, kabla ya vijana hawajajimwaga kuelekea Jimbo kuu la Cracovia, Poland, kwa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Vijana Duniani kwa Mwaka 2016.

Wachunguzi wa mambo wanasema, vijana watafunika Poland, ikizingatiwa kwamba, hizi zitakuwa ni mwendelezo wa utenzi wa sifa na shukrani kwa Mwenyezi Mungu baada ya Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo II kutangazwa kuwa Mtakatifu. Tema zilizochaguliwa na Baba Mtakatifu katika kipindi cha miaka mitatu kutoka katika Heri za Mlimani zinazonesha jinsi ambavyo Baba Mtakatifu Francisko anavyothamini sehemu hii ya Injili kuwa ni kiini cha maisha ya Wakristo, mwaliko wa kuyamwilisha katika vipaumbele vyao vya maisha ya kila siku!

Baba Mtakatifu katika ujumbe kwa Siku ya Vijana Duniani anapenda kuwakumbusha vijana wa kizazi kipya kwamba, hii ni njia ambayo Yesu mwenyewe amewaonesha wafuasi wake, mwaliko wa kumfuasa katika maisha yao yote bila ya kujibakiza hata kidogo. Kumwilisha Heri za Mlimani kwa vijana wa kizazi kipya anasema Baba Mtakatifu ni kazi kweli kweli! 

Huu nimwaliko wa kumfuasa Kristo na kushikamana naye kwa dhati, tayari kutolea ushuhuda wa mabadiliko yanayobubujika kutoka katika undani wa maisha ya mwamini. Baba Mtakatifu anawachangamotisha vijana kutokubali kupata furaha ya mpito kwa mambo ya juu juu tu, bali wahakikishe kwamba, wanajitaabisha kutafuta furaha ya kweli inayobubujika kutoka kwa Mwenyezi Mungu.

Katika ujumbe wake, Baba Mtakatifu anafafanua kwa kina na mapana maana ya umaskini wa roho kadiri ya mafundisho ya Yesu, ambaye aliuchagua mwenyewe na hatimaye kuutolea ushuhuda katika maisha na utume wake hapa duniani, mwaliko kwa vijana kuiga mfano wa maisha ya Mtakatifu Francisko, aliyekuwa tajiri wa kutupwa, lakini akaacha yote na kuukumbatia ufukara wa Kiinjili. Hii ndiyo changamoto kubwa iliyoko mbele ya vijana wa kizazi kipya na wala si maji kwa glasi!

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko anawaalika vijana kutubu na kumwongokea Yesu Kristo, huku wakijitahidi kuishi maisha yanayosimikwa katika kiasi, wakitafuta mambo msingi katika maisha yao pamoja na kujenga mshikamano wa upendo na maskini pamoja na wote wanaosukumizwa pembezoni mwa Jamii. Maskini ni sehemu ya Fumbo la Mwili wa Kristo linaloendelea kuteseka, mwaliko kwa kila mwamini kuhakikisha kwamba, anaguswa na umaskini, taabu na mahangaiko ya jirani zake; kwa njia hii vijana wanaweza kuwa kweli ni walimu wa maisha, kwa kuwamegea wengine utajiri wa maisha ya kiroho na kiutu unaobubujika kutoka katika undani wa maisha yao.

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko anasema, kuna uhusiano mkubwa kati ya tema iliyoongoza Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Vijana Duniani kwa Mwaka 2013 huko Rio de Janeiro "Basi, enendeni, mkawafanye mataifa yote kuwa wanafunzi..." na kauli mbiu ya mwaka huu yaani, "Heri walio maskini wa roho maana ufalme wa mbinguni ni wao". Ufukara wa Kiinjili ni muhimu sana katika ujenzi wa ufalme wa Mungu sehemu mbali mbali za dunia. Ni ufukara unaojionesha katika hali ya kawaida pasi na makuu, kiasi cha kuweza kuwa ni chachu ya Uinjilishaji Mpya.

Baba Mtakatifu anawakumbusha vijana wa kizazi kipya kwamba, hapo tarehe 22 Aprili 2014, Kanisa litafanya kumbu kumbu ya Miaka 30 tangu Msalaba wa Jubilee ya Mwaka wa Ukombozi ulipoanza kutembezwa sehemu mbali mbali za dunia. Hizi zilikuwa ni juhudi za Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo wa Pili kwa ajili ya Kanisa, tangu wakati ule, Msalaba umekuwa ni sehemu ya hija ya maisha ya vijana wa kizazi kipya.

Kwa hakika, baada ya Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo II kutangazwa kuwa Mtakatifu, Kanisa litaendelea kumshukuru Mungu kwa kumtangaza rasmi kuwa ni Msimamizi wa Maadhimisho ya Siku za Vijana Duniani. Mwenyeheri Yohane Paulo II alikuwa ni muasisi na mhamasishaji mkuu wa Siku za Vijana Duniani, hadi leo hii, tukio hili linaendelea kuwa na mvuto na mashiko makubwa katika maisha na utume wa Mama Kanisa miongoni mwa vijana, kwa kutambua kwamba, vijana ni jeuri na matumaini ya Kanisa kwa sasa na kwa siku za usoni!

Daily Reading for Friday, February 7th, 2014

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Reading 1, Sirach 47:2-11

² As the fat is set apart from the communion sacrifice, so was David chosen out of the Israelites.
³ He played with lions as though with kids, and with bears as though with lambs.
⁴ While still a boy, did he not slay the giant and take away the people's shame, by hurling a stone from his sling and cutting short the boasting of Goliath?
⁵ For he called on the Lord Most High, who gave strength to his right arm to put a mighty warrior to death and assert the strength of his own people.
⁶ Hence they gave him credit for ten thousand, and praised him while they blessed the Lord, by offering him a crown of glory.
⁷ For he destroyed the enemies on every front, he annihilated his foes, the Philistines, and crushed their strength for ever.
⁸ In all his activities he gave thanks to the Holy One Most High in words of glory; he put all his heart into his songs out of love for his Creator.
⁹ He placed singers before the altar, melodiously to sing;
¹⁰ he gave the feasts their splendour, the festivals their solemn pomp, causing the Lord's holy name to be praised and the sanctuary to resound from dawn.
¹¹ The Lord took away his sins, making his strength ever greater; he gave him a royal covenant, and a glorious throne in Israel.

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Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 18:31, 47, 50, 51

³¹ For who is God but Yahweh, who is a rock but our God?
⁴⁷ the God who gives me vengeance, and subjects whole peoples to me,
⁵⁰ He saves his king time after time, displays his faithful love for his anointed, for David and his heirs for ever.

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Gospel, Mark 6:14-29

¹⁴ King Herod had heard about him, since by now his name was well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'
¹⁵ Others said, 'He is Elijah,' others again, 'He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.'
¹⁶ But when Herod heard this he said, 'It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.'
¹⁷ Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife whom he had married.
¹⁸ For John had told Herod, 'It is against the law for you to have your brother's wife.'
¹⁹ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so,
²⁰ because Herod was in awe of John, knowing him to be a good and upright man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
²¹ An opportunity came on Herod's birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee.
²² When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, 'Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.'
²³ And he swore her an oath, 'I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.'
²⁴ She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' She replied, 'The head of John the Baptist.'
²⁵ The girl at once rushed back to the king and made her request, 'I want you to give me John the Baptist's head, immediately, on a dish.'
²⁶ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her.
²⁷ At once the king sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John's head.
²⁸ The man went off and beheaded him in the prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
²⁹ When John's disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

St. Moses

Feastday: February 7

Died: 372

Arab hermit and bishop who is called “the Apostle of the Saracens.” He lived in the desert regions of Syria and Egypt, caring for the local nomadic tribes. When the Romans imposed peace upon the Saracens, Queen Mavia, the Saracen ruler, demanded that Moses be consecrated a bishop. He accepted against his will and maintained the peace between the Saracens and Rome. The Saracens were a nomadic people of the Syro-Egyptian desert so designated by the Romans.

Kila mtu anapaswa kupata huduma makini ya afya!

Askofu mkuu Zygmunt Zimowski, Rais wa Baraza la Kipapa kwa ajili ya wafanyakazi katika sekta ya afya katika ujumbe wake kwa Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Dawa Kitaifa nchini Italia na katika baadhi ya Nchi za Ulaya inayoadhimishwa hapo tarehe 8 Februari, 2014 anasema, kuna haja kwa Serikali pamoja na wadau mbali mbali kuhakikisha kwamba, watu wanapata huduma sawa ya afya, mahali popote pale walipo, lakini maskini, watoto na wote wanaosukumizwa pembezoni mwa Jamii wapewe kipaumbele cha kwanza.

Askofu mkuu Zimowski anasema, katika nchi 90 duniani,

SAUTI ZA BUSARA: Ni zaidi ya Tamasha la burudani

TAMASHA la Sauti za Busara ni miongoni mwa machache ambayo yamejenga historia kutokana na kuutangaza na kuuendeleza muziki wa Tanzania nje ya mipaka yake, ambako mwaka huu litafanyika kuanzia Februari 13 hadi 16. Mbali na burudani, Tamasha la Busara ambalo ni la 11 mwaka huu tangu kuanzishwa, limekuwa kiunganishi kizuri kwa wasanii wa hapa nyumbani na wale wa kimataifa, jambo linalotoa nafasi ya kubadilishana ujuzi.
Mwenyekiti wa Bodi ya Sauti za Busara Promotions, Simai Said Mohamed, anasema lengo la kuandaa tamasha hilo ni kuwaleta watu pamoja na kuonyesha utajiri wa muziki wa kisasa, ambao umebuniwa katika nchi za Afrika Mashariki, nchi nyingine kutoka barani Afrika na kwingineko duniani.

Mohamed anasema, tamasha hilo linalojulikana kama ‘Tamasha Rafiki Katika Sayari’ ni la kimataifa linalosherehekea muziki wa Kiafrika kila mwaka na kwamba vikundi 32 vitafanya maonyesho jukwaani ndani ya Ngome Kongwe visiwani Zanzibar.
Anasema vikundi hivyo vimechaguliwa kutokana na maombi zaidi ya 560 na vinawakilisha nchi 19, zikiwemo za Afrika Mashariki, Afrika Kusini na Magharibi, maeneo ya Mto Nile, pia kutoka Puerto Rico na inatarajiwa zaidi ya wasanii 200 watafika Zanzibar kufanya maonyesho ya muziki.
Mwenyekiti huyo anawataja miongoni mwa wasanii maarufu kutoka Tanzania watakaoshiriki Tamasha la Sauti za Busara 2014 kuwa ni pamoja na Jhiko Manyika ‘Jhikoman’, mwanamuziki anayejulikana kwa muziki wake wa reggae, ambaye atazindua ziara yake ya kuitembelea dunia jukwaani wakati wa onyesho lake.

Wasanii wengine kutoka hapa nchini ni Ashimba,Batarokota, Swahili Vibes, Hoko Roro, Seven Survivor, Abantu Mandingo, Segere Original na Kazimoto, anayemshirikisha Jackie Kazimoto kutoka ‘The Internationally-Acclaimed’, Jagwa Music.
Anasema tamasha hilo pia litamkaribisha mwanamuziki mkongwe aliyefanikiwa kimuziki kutoka nchini Ghana, Ebo Taylor, pia atakuwepo Sona Jobarteh, mwanahistoria kutoka Gambia na ‘Jupiter and Okwess International’ mwanamuziki mwenye mafanikio kutoka Jamhuri ya Watu wa Congo, ambaye anapasua anga katika fani ya muziki Afrika na kwingineko duniani.
Mwenyekiti huyo anawataja wasanii watakaopamba tamasha hilo na nchi zao kwenye mabano kuwa ni Jhikoman, Ashimba, Hoko Roro, Seven Survivor, Abantu Mandingo, Segere Original, Kazimoto (Tanzania),  Swahili Vibes, Baladna Taarab, Tausi Women’s Taarab, Rajab Suleiman & Kithara ft. Derya Takkali (Zanzibar),  Joel Sebunjo ft. Lenna Kuurmaa (Uganda), Moyize (Rwanda),  Ricky na Marafiki (Kenya).

Wengine ni Ebo Taylor (Ghana na Ujeruman),   Jupiter & Okwess International (DRC),  Joe Driscoll and Sekou Kouyate (USA na Guinea),  The Nile Project (Nile Basin), Noumoucounda Cissoko (Senegal), Oy (Ghana na Uswisi), Addis Acoustic Project (Ethiopia), Sona Jobarteh (Gambia na Uingereza), Tarabband (Misri na Sweden), Majestad Negra (Puerto Rico), HAJAmadagascar and The Groovy People ft. Werner Puntigam (Madagascar, Ufaransa na Australia), Tritonik (Mauritius), Kara Sylla Ka (Senegal na Uswisi), Dizu Plaatjies & The Ibuyambo Ensemble (Afrika Kusini), Street Rat and Body Mind & Soul (Malawi),  Moyize (Rwanda), Ricky na Marafiki (Kenya), Waldemar Bastos (Angola na Portugal) na wengineo wengi kutoka nchi mbalimbali.

Mohamed anaongeza kuwa kwa upande mwingine, mwaka huu burudani ya muziki itajumuisha ‘paredi’ siku ya ufunguzi, pia kutakuwa na ‘Movers & Shakers’ (kongamano la wataalamu), na uonyeshaji wa filamu ndefu za muziki za Kiafrika ambazo zimeshinda tuzo mbalimbali.
“Kwa kushirikiana na wafadhili wa miradi HIVOS, pia tutautambulisha mradi mpya unaojulikana kama ‘Santuri Safari’, mradi ambao utaangalia zaidi jukumu la DJ kwa wakati huu na kuangalia jinsi ya utamaduni wa DJ katika kukuza muziki wa Afrika Mashariki,” anasema.
Mohamed anasema DJ waalikwa, wazalishaji wa muziki, wataalamu wa sauti, waandaaji wa matamasha na wataalamu wa sanaa kutoka ukanda wa Afrika, watajumuika pamoja Zanzibar na kufanya kazi pamoja na kupata mafunzo.

“Tunaona hii ni fursa adimu kushirikiana na kuangalia kuibuka kwa vitu vya kisasa vinavyotokea katika muziki wa elektroniki na utamaduni wa MaDj, na kuangalia jinsi ya kuukuza muziki kikanda na katika anga la kimataifa kwa wakati huu na kwa miaka ijayo,” anasema.
Anasema, kutakuwa na muziki kipindi cha jioni wakati wa jua kuzama maeneo ya mjini na Ijumaa na Jumamosi kutakuwa na burudani ya muziki Ngome Kongwe baada ya kumalizika kwa maonyesho ya moja kwa moja jukwaani.
Anasema, pia tamasha hilo linakuza mambo mbalimbali kupitia ‘Buasara Xtra’ kwa kujumuisha matukio ya maonesho, ambako kwa pamoja hutoa fursa kwa wasanii wazawa kuonyesha kazi zao na kuwafanya wageni watembelee maeneo mengine ya Kisiwa cha Zanzibar.
Anasema zaidi ya Watanzania 150 huajiriwa kila mwaka kama wafanyakazi wa tamasha na pia kwa upande wa kukuza na kulinda muziki na utamaduni wa Zanzibar, Sauti za Busara inatumia nafasi iliyonayo katika kuuthamini muziki wa Bara zima la Afrika, kukuza amani, kujenga jamii ya pamoja Afrika Mashariki na kukuza utalii wa kitamaduni.
“Kwa kila siku kiingilio katika tamasha ni bure kabla ya saa 11 jioni kwa Watanzania wote, na baada ya hapo kiingilio ni sh 5,000 pia ukitaka maelezo zaidi, unaweza kutembelea www.busaramusic.org na kwamba
Busara Promotions ni taasisi inayowezeshwa kwa mwaka mzima na Ubalozi wa Norway,” anasema.
Mohamed, anatoa shukurani kwa Bodi ya wadhamini na wafadhili kama Hivos, Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of the United States of America, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, African Music Festivals Network, Zanzibar Unique, Memories of Zanzibar, Ultimate Security, Ubalozi wa Ufaransa, Southern Sun Hotel, Azam Marine, Ubalozi wa Ujerumani na SMOLE II.

St. Teresa of Avila - Doctor of the Church

Feastday: October 15

Patron of Headache sufferers, Spanish Catholic Writers
1515 - 1582

Less than twenty years before Teresa was born in 1515, Columbus opened up the Western Hemisphere to European colonization. Two years after she was born, Luther started the Protestant Reformation. Out of all of this change came Teresa pointing the way from outer turmoil to inner peace.

Teresa's father was rigidly honest and pious, but he may have carried his strictness to extremes. Teresa's mother loved romance novels but because her husband objected to these fanciful books, she hid the books from him. This put Teresa in the middle -- especially since she liked the romances too. Her father told her never to lie but her mother told her not to tell her father. Later she said she was always afraid that no matter what she did she was going to do everything wrong.

When she was five years old she convinced her older brother that they should, as she says in her Life, "go off to the land of the Moors and beg them, out of love of God, to cut off our heads there." They got as far as the road from the city before an uncle found them and brought them back. Some people have used this story as an early example of sanctity, but this author think it's better used as an early example of her ability to stir up trouble.

After this incident she led a fairly ordinary life, though she was convinced that she was a horrible sinner. As a teenager, she cared only about boys and clothes

Mchango wa Kanisa Katoliki katika sekta ya elimu unaweza sasa kupatikana kwenye tovuti!

Baraza la Kipapa la Elimu Katoliki limezindua tovuti yake inayotoa habari muhimu kuhusu mchango wa Kanisa Katoliki katika sekta ya elimu ya juu, sehemu mbali mbali duniani. Hii ni sehemu ya utekelezaji wa Itifaki iliyoridhiwa kati ya Vatican na Shirika la Elimu, Sayansi na Utamaduni la Umoja wa Mataifa, UNESCO katika masuala ya sekta ya elimu kimataifa kwa kutambua na kuthamini vyeti mbali mbali vinavyotolewa na Vyuo vikuu na Taasisi za Elimu ya Juu zinazoongozwa na kumilikiwa na Kanisa Katoliki.

Hii ni fursa kwa Vatican kuendelea kuchangia kwa kina na mapana katika sekta ya elimu kwa kutoa habari zinazoonesha mchango wa Kanisa ili kushirikishana na nchi nyingine ambazo tayari zimekwisharidhia Itifaki hii pamoja na UNESCO. Tovuti ya Baraza la Kipapa la Elimu Katoliki kwa sasa lina sehemu kuu mbili: Sehemu ya kwanza inazungumzia Baraza la Kipapa la Elimu Katoliki na majukumu yake kwa ujumla.

Sehemu ya pili imesheheni hati na nyaraka mbali mbali zinazoweza kufanyiwa rejea na wasomi kuhusu: Hekima ya Kikristo na Hati ya Kanisa kuhusu Vyuo Vikuu vya Kikatoliki. Tovuti hii inaonesha uhusiano wa kimataifa kati ya Baraza la Kipapa la Taasisi mbali mbali katika sekta ya elimu. Watumiaji wa tovuti hii wanaweza pia kupata takwimu na habari kutoka katika "Pango hifadhi ya Nyaraka za Baraza la Kipapa la Elimu Katoliki". Ukitaka kufaidi zaidi unaweza kutembelea Baraza la Kipapa la Elimu Katoliki kwa anuani ifuatayo: www.educatio.va

Miili 8 yapatikana mgodini A. Kusini

Mgodi wa Doornkop uko Magharibi mwa Johannesburg.

Maafisa wa shughuli ya uokoaji nchini Afrika Kusini wanasema kuwa wamepata miili 8 ndani ya mgodi walimokuwa wamekwama wachimba migodi hao baada ya moto kuzuka na kuangukiwa na mawe wakiwa ndani ya mgodi huo.

Kwa mujibu wa serikali, Mfanyakazi mmoja angali hajapatikana katika mgodi wa Doornkop, Magharibi mwa Johannesburg.

Awali wachimba migodi wanane walipatikana wakiwa hai katika chumba kimoja chini ya ardhi ambak

Daily Reading for Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

---

Reading 1, Second Samuel 24:2, 9-17

² The king said to Joab and the senior army officers who were with him, 'Now, go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, and take a census of the people; I wish to know the size of the population.'
⁹ Joab gave the king the census results for the people; Israel had eight hundred thousand fighting men who could wield a sword, and Judah five hundred thousand.
¹⁰ But afterwards David's heart misgave him for having taken a census of the people. David then said to Yahweh, 'I have committed a grave sin by doing this. But now, Yahweh, I beg you to forgive your servant for this fault, for I have acted very foolishly.'
¹¹ When, however, David got up next morning, the following message had come from Yahweh to the prophet Gad, David's seer,
¹² 'Go and say to David, "Yahweh says this: I offer you three things; choose which one of them I am to inflict on you." '
¹³ So Gad went to David and said, 'Which do you prefer: to have three years of famine befall your country; to flee for three months before a pursuing army; or to have three days of epidemic in your country? Now think, and decide how I am to answer him who sends me.'
¹⁴ David said to Gad, 'I am very apprehensive . . . Better to fall into Yahweh's hands, since his mercies are great, than to fall into the hands of men!'
¹⁵ So David chose the epidemic. It was the time of the wheat harvest. So Yahweh unleashed an epidemic on Israel from that morning until the time determined; plague ravaged the people and, of the people from Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand died.
¹⁶ But when the angel stretched his hand towards Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh felt sorry about the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, 'Enough now! Hold your hand!' The angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
¹⁷ When David saw the angel who was ravaging the people, he said to Yahweh, 'I was the one who sinned. I was the one who acted wrongly. But these, the flock, what have they done? Let your hand lie heavy on me and on my family!'

---

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

¹ [Of David Poem] How blessed are those whose offence is forgiven, whose sin blotted out.
² How blessed are those to whom Yahweh imputes no guilt, whose spirit harbours no deceit.
⁵ I made my sin known to you, did not conceal my guilt. I said, 'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.' And you, for your part, took away my guilt, forgave my sin.Pause
⁶ That is why each of your faithful ones prays to you in time of distress. Even if great floods overflow, they will never reach your faithful.
⁷ You are a refuge for me, you guard me in trouble, with songs of deliverance you surround me.Pause

---

Gospel, Mark 6:1-6

¹ Leaving that district, he went to his home town, and his disciples accompanied him.
² With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, 'Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him?
³ This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?' And they would not accept him.
⁴ And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is despised only in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house';
⁵ and he could work no miracle there, except that he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith. He made a tour round the villages, teaching.

St. Agatha

February 5

Although we have evidence that Agatha was venerated at least as far back as the sixth century, the only facts we have about her are that she was born in Sicily and died there a martyr.

In the legend of her life, we are told that she belonged to a rich, important family. When she was young, she dedicated her life to God and resisted any men who wanted to marry her or have sex with her. One of these men, Quintian, was of a high enough rank that he felt he could force her to acquiesce. Knowing she was a Christian in a time of persecution, he had her arrested and brought before the judge - - himself. He expected her to give in to when faced with torture and possible death, but she simply affirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil."

Legend tells us that Quintian imprisoned her in a brothel in order to get her to change her mind. Quintian brought her back before him after she had suffered a month of assault and humiliation in the brothel, but Agatha had never wavered, proclaiming that her freedom came from Jesus. Quintian sent her to prison, instead of back to the brothel -- a move intended to make her more afraid, but which probably was a great relief to her. When she continued to profess her faith in Jesus, Quintian had her tortured. He refused her any medical care but God gave her all the care she needed in the form of a vision of St. Peter. When she was tortured again, she died after saying a final prayer: "Lord, my Creator, you have always protected me from the cradle; you have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer. Receive my soul."

Because one of the tortures she supposedly suffered was to have her breasts cut off, she was often depicted carrying her breasts on a plate. It is thought that blessing of the bread that takes place on her feast may have come from the mistaken notion that she was carrying loaves of bread.

Because she was asked for help during the eruption of Mount Etna she is considered a protector against the outbreak of fire. She is also considered the patroness of bellmakers for an unknown reason -- though some speculate it may have something to do with the fact that bells were used as fire alarms.

Prayer:

Saint Agatha, you suffered sexual assault and indignity because of your faith. Help heal all those who are survivors of sexual assault and protect those women who are in danger. Amen

 

from Wikipedia

For communities named after St. Agatha, see Sainte-Agathe.
Saint Agatha of Sicily (died ca. 251) is a Christian saint. Her memorial is on 5 February. Agatha^[3] was born at Catania, Sicily, and she was martyred in approximately 251. She is one of seven women, who along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.^[4]
She is the patron saint of Catania, Molise, Malta, San Marino and Zamarramala, a municipality of the Province of Segovia in Spain. She is also the patron saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, wet nurses, bell-founders, bakers, fire, earthquakes, and eruptions of Mount Etna.

Contents

• 1 Early history
• 2 Life
• 3 Veneration
• 4 Patronage
• 5 Iconography
• 6 Legacy
  • 6.1 Agatha in art
• 7 See also
• 8 References
• 9 External links

Early history[edit]

Agatha is buried at the Badia di Sant'Agata, Catania.^[5] She is listed in the late 6th-century Martyrologium Hieronymianum associated with Jerome,^[6] and the Synaxarion, the calendar of the church of Carthage, ca. 530.^[7] Agatha also appears in one of the carmina of Venantius Fortunatus.^[8] Two early churches were dedicated to her in Rome,^[9] notably the Church of Sant'Agata dei Goti in via Mazzarino, a titular church with apse mosaics of ca. 460 and traces of a fresco cycle,^[10] overpainted by Gismondo Cerrini in 1630. In the 6th century the church was adapted to Arian Christianity, hence its name "Saint Agatha of Goths", and later reconsecrated by Gregory the Great, who confirmed her traditional sainthood. Agatha is also depicted in the mosaics of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, where she appears, richly dressed, in the procession of female martyrs along the north wall. Her image forms an initial I in the Sacramentary of Gellone, from the end of the 8th century.

Life[edit]

One of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of Christian antiquity, Agatha was put to death during the persecution of Decius (250-253) in Catania, Sicily, for her steadfast profession of faith.^[6]
Her written legend^[11] comprises "straightforward accounts of interrogation, torture, resistance, and triumph which constitute some of the earliest hagiographic literature",^[12] and are reflected in later recensions, the earliest surviving one being an illustrated late 10th-century passio bound into a composite volume^[13] in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, originating probably in Autun, Burgundy; in its margin illustrations Magdalena Carrasco detected Carolingian or Late Antique iconographic traditions.^[14]
Although the martyrdom of St. Agatha is authenticated, and her veneration as a saint had even in antiquity spread beyond her native place, there is no reliable information concerning the details of her death.^[6]
According to Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda Aurea of ca. 1288,^[15] having dedicated her virginity to God,^[16] Fifteen year old Agatha, from a rich and noble family, rejected the amorous advances of the low-born Roman prefect Quintianus, who then persecuted her for her Christian faith.^[17] He sent Agatha to Aphrodisia, the keeper of a brothel.

Saint Peter Healing Agatha, by the Caravaggio-follower Giovanni Lanfranco, ca 1614

The madam finding her intractable, Quinitianus sends for her, argues, threatens, and finally has her put in prison. Among the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts. After further dramatic confrontations with Quintianus, represented in a sequence of dialogues in her passio that document her fortitude and steadfast devotion. Saint Agatha was then sentenced to be burned at the stake, but an earthquake saved her from that fate; instead, she was sent to prison where St. Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds.^[18] Saint Agatha died in prison, according to the Legenda Aurea in "the year of our Lord two hundred and fifty-three in the time of Decius, the emperor of Rome."
Osbern Bokenham, A Legend of Holy Women, written in the 1440s, offers some further detail.^[19]

Veneration[edit]

Catania's duomo

Catania Cathedral (Cattedrale di Sant'Agata) is dedicated to Saint Agatha.
According to Maltese tradition, during the persecution of Roman Emperor Decius (AD 249-251), Agatha, together with some of her friends, fled from Sicily, and took refuge in Malta. Some historians believe that her stay on the island was rather short, and she spent her days in a rock hewn crypt at Rabat, praying and teaching the Christian Faith to children. After some time, Agatha returned to Sicily, where she faced martyrdom. Agatha was arrested and brought before Quintanus, praetor of Catania, who condemned her to torture and imprisonment. The crypt of St. Agatha is an underground basilica, which from early ages was venerated by the Maltese. At the time of St. Agatha's stay, the crypt was a small natural cave which later on, during the 4th or 5th century, was enlarged and embellished.^[20]

Patronage[edit]

Saint Agatha's breasts sculpted in the fortification walls, Mons, Var

She is the patron saint of Catania, Sorihuela del Guadalimar (Spain), Molise, San Marino and Malta.
Saint Agatha is a patron saint of Malta, where in 1551 her intercession through a reported apparition to a Benedictine nun is said to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion.^[20]
Agatha is the patron saint of bell-founders because of the shape of her severed breasts,^[17] and also of bakers, whose loaves were blessed at her feast day. More recently, she has been venerated as patron saint of breast cancer patients.
She is claimed as the patroness of Palermo. The year after her death, the stilling of an eruption of Mt. Etna was attributed to her intercession. As a result, apparently, people continued to ask her prayers for protection against fire.^[21]

Iconography[edit]

Saint Agatha is often depicted iconographically carrying her excised breasts on a platter, as by Bernardino Luini's Saint Agatha (1510–15) in the Galleria Borghese, Rome, in which Agatha contemplates the breasts on a standing salver held in her hand.

Legacy[edit]

Burial of St Agatha, by Giulio Campi, 1537

Basques have a tradition of gathering on Saint Agatha's eve (Santa Ageda bezpera in Basque) and going round the village. Homeowners can choose to hear a song about her life, accompanied by the beats of their walking sticks on the floor or a prayer for those deceased in the house. After that, the homeowner donates food to the chorus.^[22] This song has varying lyrics according to the local tradition and the Basque language. An exceptional case was that of 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, when a version appeared that in the Spanish language praised the Soviet ship Komsomol, which had sunk while carrying Soviet weapons to the Second Spanish Republic.
An annual festival to commemorate the life of Saint Agatha takes place in Catania, Sicily, from February 3 to 5. The festival culminates in a great all-night procession through the city for which hundreds of thousands of the city's residents turn out.
St. Agatha's Tower is a former Knight's stronghold located in the north west of Malta. The seventeenth-century tower served as a military base during both World Wars and was used as a radar station by the Maltese army.^[20]

Agatha in art[edit]

Agatha is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.^[23]

Ujumbe wa Papa kwa Kwaresima, wadai majitoleo zaidi kwa wahitaji.

Jumanne hii , Ofisi ya habari ya Vatican imetoa Ujumbe wa Papa Francisko kwa ajili ya kipindi cha Kwaresima, kinachoanza tarehe 5 Marchi kwa ibada ya Majivu. Ujumbe huo, unaoongozwa na Madambiu: "Alijifanya Maskini kwa ajili Yenu , ili kutokana na umasikini wake awatajirishe”.

Papa, katika ujumbe huu, anawaelekeza wanakanisa kuyatazama kwa kina mahangaiko ya watu, katika hali zote, kibinadamu na kiroho pia, akilenga hasa kutoa msaada kimawazo , jinsi ya kuitembea njia ya uongofu kama mtu binafsi au kama jumuiya ya kanisa , kwa kuvuviwa na maneno ya Mtume Paulo “ Maana mmejua neema ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, kwamba ingawa alikuwa tajiri, lakini kwa ajili yenu, alijifanya maskini , ili kwa umaskini wake, uwatajirishe " (2 Kor 8:09 ).
Mtume Paulo aliwaandikia Wakristo wa Korintho, kwa nia ya kuwahamasisha watende kwa upendo na majitoleo zaidi ya wema na ukarimu, kwa ajili ya kusaidia

Ex-wife Winnie left out of Mandela’s testament

Nelson Mandela’s former wife Winnie Madikizela Mandela (left) and widow Graca Machel attend his memorial service in Johannesburg last December. PHOTO | FILE 

By The Citizen Reporter and Agencies

Johannesburg. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who was

Daily Reading for Tuesday, February 4th, 2014

---

Reading 1, Second Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30--19:3

⁹ Absalom happened to run into some of David's guards. Absalom was riding his mule and the mule passed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom's head got caught in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on.
¹⁰ Someone saw this and reported to Joab, 'I have just seen Absalom hanging from an oak.'
¹⁴ Joab then said, 'I cannot waste time arguing with you!' And, taking three darts in his hand, he planted them in Absalom's heart, while he was still alive, deep in the oak-tree.
²⁴ David was sitting between the two gates. The sentry, having gone up to the roof of the gate, looked out from the ramparts and saw a man running alone.
²⁵ The sentry called down to the king and told him. The king said, 'If he is alone, he is bringing good news.'
³⁰ The king said, 'Go and stand over there.' He stood to one side and waited.
³¹ Then the Cushite arrived. 'Good news for my lord the king!' the Cushite shouted. 'Today Yahweh has vindicated your cause, by ridding you of all who had risen up against you.'
³² 'Is all well with young Absalom?' the king asked the Cushite. 'May the enemies of my lord the king', the Cushite answered, 'and all who rise up to harm you, share the fate of that young man!'
¹ The king shuddered. He went up to the room over the gate and burst into tears; and, as he wept, he kept saying, 'Oh, my son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! Oh, Absalom my son, my son!'
² Word was brought to Joab, 'The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.'
³ And for the entire army that day, victory was turned to mourning, the troops having learnt that the king was grieving for his son.

---

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 86:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

¹ [Prayer Of David] Listen to me, Yahweh, answer me, for I am poor and needy.
² Guard me, for I am faithful, save your servant who relies on you. You are my God,
³ take pity on me, Lord, for to you I cry all the day.
⁴ Fill your servant's heart with joy, Lord, for to you I raise up my heart.
⁵ Lord, you are kind and forgiving, rich in faithful love for all who call upon you.
⁶ Yahweh, hear my prayer, listen to the sound of my pleading.

---

Gospel, Mark 5:21-43

²¹ When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lake.
²² Then the president of the synagogue came up, named Jairus, and seeing him, fell at his feet
²³ and begged him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her that she may be saved and may live.'
²⁴ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.
²⁵ Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years;
²⁶ after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any the better for it; in fact, she was getting worse.
²⁷ She had heard about Jesus, and she came up through the crowd and touched his cloak from behind, thinking,
²⁸ 'If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.'
²⁹ And at once the source of the bleeding dried up, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint.
³⁰ And at once aware of the power that had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?'
³¹ His disciples said to him, 'You see how the crowd is pressing round you; how can you ask, "Who touched me?" '
³² But he continued to look all round to see who had done it.
³³ Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth.
³⁴ 'My daughter,' he said, 'your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free of your complaint.'
³⁵ While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the president of the synagogue to say, 'Your daughter is dead; why put the Master to any further trouble?'
³⁶ But Jesus overheard what they said and he said to the president of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid; only have faith.'
³⁷ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
³⁸ So they came to the house of the president of the synagogue, and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly.
³⁹ He went in and said to them, 'Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.'
⁴⁰ But they ridiculed him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child's father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay.
⁴¹ And taking the child by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha kum!' which means, 'Little girl, I tell you to get up.'
⁴² The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At once they were overcome with astonishment,
⁴³ and he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

St. Joan of Valois

St. Joan of Valois

Feastday: February 4
1464 - 1505

Joan of Valois, 1464 - 1505, was the second daughter of Louis X1,  King of France, and Charlotte of Savoy, She was born on April 23,   1464. At the ge of two months she was betrothed to Louis, Duke of Orleans, and the marriage took place in 1476. There is no doubt  that it was invalid, for Louis of Orleans married her in fear of his life  if he did not comply with the king's orders to do so. Joan was by  no means a prepossessing figure: she was hunch-backed, lame and pock-marked. On her husband's succession to the throne he obtained a declaration that the marriage was invalid. Joan, therefore, was not to be queen of France; she was given instread the title of Duchess of Berry. If so it is to be, praised be the Lord, was her remark on this occasion.  And there, really is the basis of her holiness and the spiritual testament that she left in the Order of the Annunciation that she founded; by her choice of name for her nuns she emphasised the parallel between our Lady's *Be it done to me and her own If so it is to be. All her life she met with oppostion and countrered it with such gentle words these. There were difficulties without number. The pope seemed unwilling to give his approval, though Louis X11 approved readily enough, thinking perhaps that Joan, bound by vows, would be less likely to upset the verdict given in the suit of nullity; his fears were groundless, and in any case directly

Rais Tui Atua Tamasese Efi akutana na Papa Francisko mjini Vatican

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko siku ya Jumatatu, tarehe 3 Februari 2014 amekutana na kuzungumza na Rais Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi wa Visiwa vya Samoa, ambaye baadaye alikutana na kuzungumza na Askofu mkuu Pitero Parolin, katibu mkuu wa Vatican aliyekuwa ameambatana na Askofu mkuu Dominique Mamberti, Katibu mkuu wa mambo ya nchi za nje na ushirikiano wa kimataifa mjini Vatican.

Katika mazungumzo ya viongozi hawa wawili, wamejikita katika hali ya uchumi na kisiasa pamoja na kuangalia mchango wa Kanisa Katoliki katika mchakato wa maendeleo na ustawi wa wananchi wa Samoa katika medani mbali mbali za maisha. Wamebadilishana mawazo kuhusu masuala ya kimataifa hasa umuhimu wa ushirikiano wa Kikanda, utunzaji bora wa mazingira katika nchi zilizoko kwenye Bahari ya Pacific.

DA and Agang to hold separate press conferences

On Tuesday, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille announced that Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele would be her party's presidential candidate in the upcoming general elections.
However, confusion arose on Friday over Ramphele's joining the DA.
According to a joint statement issued by Ramphele and Zille on Friday, the Agang SA founder would be welcomed into the DA at a press conference in Johannesburg on Monday.
However, following the joint statement being issued, a message from Ramphele was uploaded onto Agang SA's website.
"You may have by now seen 'joint' statements issued by the Democratic Alliance in which it is claimed that I will be accepting DA membership on Monday," she said.
"This is not true. Nor did I agree to any such statement."
On Sunday, Zille said Ramphele had reneged on the agreement to be the Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate at a meeting on Sunday despite the party negotiating in good faith.

Mchakato wa kukutana na Yesu!

Kadiri ya misale ya mwaka 1962 ya Papa Yohane 23 kipindi cha noeli kinaisha kwa sikukuu ya leo. Lakini baada ya marekebisho ya kalenda mwisho wa kipindi cha Noeli ni baada ya Sikukuu ya Epifania, yaani baada ya sikukuu ya ubatizo wa Bwana wetu. Aidha, ni mwisho wa kipindi cha Epifania.

Zamani sikukuu hii ilijulikana kama sikukuu ya Mweuo wa Bikira Maria, lakini sasa ni “Kutolewa Bwana”. Kabla kabisa sikukuu hii ilikuwa inaadhimishwa huko kwenye Kanisa la Mashariki likijulikana kama sikukuu ya Maonano, au sikukuu ya kukutana kwa

Polisi wavamia msikiti Mombasa

Ramani

Watu 3 akiwemo polisi wameuawa na wengine kadha kujeruhiwa kwenye ghasia katika mji wa Mombasa, Kenya, baada ya polisi kuvamia msikiti unaosemekana kutoa mafunzi ya itikadi kali za dini ya kiisilamu

Polisi walitumia moshi wa kutoza machozi na risasi za raba dhidi ya waandamanaji na kuwakamata watu 100.
Viongozi wa mombasa wamelaani kitendo cha polisi wakisema kuwa ni kinyume na sheria.
Mashekhe wawili ambao wakihubiri katika msikiti wa Masjid Mussa walipigwa risasi na kuuliwa na watu wasiojulikana katika miezi ya karibuni.
Polisi wa Kenya wameuhusisha msikiti huo na kuajiri wapiganaji wa kundi la wapiganaji Waislamu wa Somalia, Al Shabaab, ambalo mwaka jana lilishambulia jumba la maduka la Westgate mjini Nairobi.

Tafakari ya Neno la Mungu, Jumapili ya Nne ya Kipindi cha Mwaka A wa Kanisa

Tunaendelea katika safari yetu ya tafakari masomo Dominika ya nne ya kipindi cha mwaka. Neno la Mungu latualika kuwachagua maskini. Katika kuwachagua maskini yatulazimu kuwa maskini wa roho tukitambua kuwa ufalme wa mbinguni unajifungamanisha na heri hiyo.
Katika somo la kwanza, Nabii Sefania anawaalika walio wacha Mungu, kutafuta daima haki na unyenyekevu, maana ni kwa njia hiyo katika siku ya hukumu Mungu atawahurumia. Anasema kwa hakika wale wote walioonewa na kutumainia jina la Mungu watabakizwa na hawatasahauliwa kamwe.

Nabii Sefania anakuja na mahubiri haya akisukumwa na hali ya maisha ya wakati wake katika kipindi kabla ya uharibifu wa Hekalu la Yerusalemu, na hasa mawazo juu ya mali. Katika kipindi hicho mali ilikuwa ni kipimo cha baraka toka kwa Mungu. Aidha, mtu alionekana kuwa wa maana kwa kuwa na mali. Basi Nabii Sefania na Manabii wengine, wanaona wakati fulani mali hupatikana kwa sababu ya unyonyaji wa maskini, na hivi wanaanza kukemea hali hiyo. Umaskini haukuwa tokeo la dhambi, bali tokeo la madhulumu toka kwa matajiri.

Nabii Sefania anakemea kwa nguvu zote jambo hili pamoja na kwamba alikuwa amezaliwa toka familia tajiri. Anawaalika watu kutambua ujio wa adhabu ya Mungu kama wataendelea na unyonyaji kwa maskini. Ndiyo kusema anawaalika kurudi kwa Mungu kwa njia ya toba na kutenda haki. Nabii anaona kufanya toba lazima kujikite katika kuwa maskini wa roho, kuwa wanyenyekevu daima kama karama msingi kwa ajili ya maisha ya kumpendeza Mungu.

Kwa njia ya Nabii tunatambua, nini maana ya umaskini wa roho, kumbe si hali ya mtu au nafasi ya mtu katika jumuiya bali njia ya kiroho, hali ya ndani ya mtu anayetafuta wokovu. Umaskini wa roho ni kutokuwa na hali ya kujitegemea na kwa namna hiyo kumtegemea Mungu. Ndiyo kusema, mwaliko kwetu hivi leo ni kutafuta namna ya kujinasua toka mali kwa ajili ya uzima wa milele.

Katika somo II toka barua ya Mt. Paulo kwa Wakorinto tunamwona Mungu anavyochagua mambo dhaifu ili kuaibisha wenye hekima. Mungu anachagua maskini wa roho badala ya wanaojigamba. Kumbe Paulo anawaalika Wakorinto waliochaguliwa na Mungu kwa njia ya Kristo, hekima ya Mungu, haki na shime yao kuwa makini katika hilo. Kwa nini Paulo anakuja na fundisho hili? Ni kwamba jumuiya ya Wakorinto ilijawa na utengano kwa sababu ya madaraka na utajiri. Utengano huu ulileta maudhi hasa kwa maskini!

Mt Paulo sasa anawaonya kwa maneno makali na hata yanayoweza kufanya mtu afikiri kuwa hekima si ya maana. Hekima na akili ni vya maana lakini lazima viwe kwa ajili ya huduma kwa watu na kwa Mungu. Mungu anachagua maskini na si fukara, kumbe umaskini wa roho, unaojali maisha ya watu na kumweka Mungu katikati ya safari ya wokovu wa wanajumuiya wanaoishi na kusafiri pamoja wakielekea mbinguni.

Katika somo la Injili, toka Injili ya Matayo, tunapata kutafakari Heri Nane za mlimani. Kwa kifupi Heri Nane ni ufupisho wa mafundisho mazima ya maisha ya kiroho na mwongozo wa namna ya kufika mbinguni. Mungu anawachagua walio maskini wa roho, yaani wale ambao huweza kuchagua njia ya unyenyekevu, huruma, msamaha, furaha, haki, utakatifu, amani, uvumilivu wakati wa taabu itokayo na utafutaji wa haki pamoja na taabu itokayo na dhuluma, kama ndio warithi wa uzima wa milele.
Mpendwa, yafaa kujiuliza, hivi Mungu apendezwa na umaskini? Mbona Injili yatualika kufanya bidii ili kuondoa umaskini katika maisha yetu? Ni kweli, Mungu hapendezwi na umaskini bali apendezwa na umaskini wa roho ambao huleta wokovu. Kuhusu mali, Bwana hatofautiani na manabii waliomtangulia, yaani haoni mali kama alama ya baraka toka kwa Mungu, lakini pia habezi mali. Sasa ataka nini!

Yafaa twende kuangalia neno mali kama lilivyotumiwa na Matayo na matumizi ya mali tuliyonayo! Tukitazama Injili ya Lk 16:9 tunaona neno mali hupata maana sahihi kiroho pale tunapogawanya mali hiyo kwa maskini. Hata hivyo Bwana huona hatari itokanayo na mali tunapoelekea mbinguni, angalia Lk 14:33 akisema hakuna anayeweza kuwa mfuasi wangu kama atashikama na mali. Fundisho la Bwana latudai kujibandua toka mali ili kumfuasa yeye na ndio msingi wa kuweza kuelewa nini maana ya kuwa maskini wa roho.

Mpendwa msikilizaji, mwaliko katika fundisho ni kujipatia uwezo wa kushirikishana mali tulizojaliwa na Mungu. Bwana hapendezwi na ufukara ambao huja bila kuchagua bali hupendezwa na umaskini ambao mtu anauchagua kwa ajili ya huduma ya Injili. Ndiyo kusema furaha kwa wale wanaochagua umaskini kwa ajili ya kujitoa kwa waliowahitaji ni tele na ya uhakika. Umaskini mwingine tofauti na huo si heri na si njia ya kiroho bali njia ya uvivu na kwa hivi hakuna furaha. Aidha umaskini wa roho unaokuja kwa njia ya uchaguzi wa ndani katika mlengo wa Injili ni mwito kwa ajili ya wakristu wote na si kwa tabaka fulani kati ya waamini.

Tukiitazama heri II yaani wanaheri wale wenye huzuni, tunapata kujiuliza swali, je Mungu apendezwa na huzuni? Kwa hakika hapana, kumbe heri hii ni kwa wale ambao wanahuzuni kwa sababu wanateswa kwa ajili ya imani yao. Heri inakuja kwa maana hali yao hiyo itaondolewa na watafarijiwa, na Mungu. Bwana akisonga mbele anatangaza tena heri kwa walio wapole maana watairithi nchi. Wapole ni wale wastahimilivu na wanyenyekevu. Bwana hasifu unyenyekevu na uvumilivu wa asili, yaani zawadi za Mungu kwa mtu tangu kuzaliwa kwake bali asifu upole na uvumilivu wa kiroho ambao mtu hujipatia mbele ya madhulumu ya haki zake, akionesha uvumilivu, akimtegemea Mungu pasipo kupambana kwa njia ya vita!

Mpendwa, katika msingi uleule wa upole Bwana anatangaza heri kwa wenye njaa na kiu ya haki kwa maana watashibishwa. Kwa heri hii, ataka tutambue na tupiganie haki kwa ajili ya wote kama ambavyo mtu hutafuta chakula kwa ajili ya kuishi. Ndiyo kusema, kama ilivyo njaa ya chakula basi ijengeke njaa na kiu ya haki. Mpendwa msikilizaji, Bwana anasonga mbele akitangaza heri wenye huruma, akitaka tuwe na huruma, huruma ambayo hujihusisha katika kuwasaidia wengine, yaani isiyoishia katika kusamehe bali katika kuhakikisha wengine wanapata kuishi na kuokoka. Heri hii inakuja kwa maana ufalme wa Mungu utakapokuwa umetimia nao watapata mmojawapo wa kuwasaidia na kuwafariji. Kristu katika hili anatangaza maisha mpya ambamo ubinafsi na magomvi si vitu vya maana bali mapendo na rehema kwa wengine.

Bwana anasonga mbele katika mafundisho yake akikazia usafi wa moyo kama kigezo cha kuweza kumwona Mungu. Katika heri hii, Bwana hazungumzii useja bali unyoofu na ukweli unaomfanya mtu asihangaikie fikira potofu kinyume na mapenzi ya Mungu. Huyu mwenye usafi wa moyo hagawanyi upendo wake na maisha yake kwa wafalme wawili yaani Mungu na shetani bali tu kwa Mungu. Ni kwa jinsi hiyo basi moyoni mwake hukaa mawazo na mapendo ya kimungu ambayo ndiyo umletea heri na furaha daima. Kilele cha heri hii ni kumwona Mungu.

Katika mambo msingi ambayo mwanadamu anayahitaji ni amani. Amani ni tunda la Roho Mtakatifu. Ni tokeo la kuzaliwa Mwana wa Mungu, kumbuka utukufu kwa Mungu juu na amani duniani kwa watu wenye mapenzi mema. Bwana anatangaza heri kwa watenda na watafuta amani, yaani wapatanishi kwa ujumla. Neno amani katika Biblia halina maana tu ya kutokuwepo kwa vita bali hulenga ustawi wa watu, haki, furaha, afya njema na maisha maelewano. Mpendwa msikilizaji, maisha ya namna hii hujengwa na hivi Bwana anatangaza heri na baraka kwa wale watakaojishughulisha na ujenzi wa amani katika taifa la Mungu.

Mpendwa msikilizaji, Bwana akimalizia mafundisho yake pale mlimani anakuja na tangazo la heri kwa wale ambao katika kutenda heri hizi na hasa wakitafuta haki wataudhiwa na kudhulumiwa, akisema ufalme wa mbinguni ni wao. Kwa hakika awaye yote anayetafuta kutenda haki, atadhulumiwa na kunyanyaswa. Ndiyo kusema wadhulumaji huogopa ujio wa ukombozi na hivi kujiweka katika mapambano kinyume na ufalme huo. Bwana akijua hilo anatangaza heri kwa awaye yote atafutaye amani yakwamba akibaki imara atapata furaha na baraka za Mungu.

Tukumbuke pia kwamba, Bwana aliteswa, lakini alivumilia kiasi kwamba Mungu akamwadhimisha mno na kumpa jina lipitalo kila aina ya jina. Mpendwa, kupokea heri za Mungu si jambo jepesi, ladai kuzama katika maisha ya kiroho ili polepole kukuza roho ya mapendo na utii kwa Mungu. Tunaitwa kuwa watakatifu kama Baba yetu aliye mbinguni.

Mpendwa mwana wa Mungu nikutakie baraka na heri za mbinguni sasa na daima na milele. Tumsifu Yesu Kristo.

Tafakari hii imeletwa kwako na Pd Richard Tiganya C. PP.S.

St. Julius of Novara

Missionary and confessor with his brother, Julian. Julius was a priest, and Julian a deacon. They converted pagan temples into churches, commissioned to this undertaking by Emperor   Theodosius I.

 

Isola San Giulio

Julius of Novara (Italian Giulio di Orta), also Julius of Aegina^[1] (died 401 AD) was a missionary priest to northern Italy.
His cult is centered at Lake Orta in the Novarese highlands, and in particular on the island which has been named for him since at least the eighth century,^[2] Isola San Giulio, and where his presumed relics are preserved in the crypt, called scurolo, of a basilica dedicated to him.
Few facts are known about his career. In the earliest Vita, which dates from no earlier than the eighth century and is of a character as much legendary as historical, the account of his life is interlaced with that of his brother Julian (Giuliano), a deacon whose name is similar enough to suggest that they may have been the same person, but now we know (thanks to recent archaeological finds in Gozzano's previous parish church, S. Lorenzo) that they both existed. The Roman Martyrology commemorates only Julius. It has been said the Julius' name was recited as part of the Ambrosian Rite during the fifth and sixth centuries; however, it has also been claimed that this Julius referred to Pope Julius I.
Julius and Julian may have been Greeks who came to Rome before establishing themselves at Lake Orta. Their legend states that they were educated in the Christian faith by their parents. They are said to have been ordered by Theodosius I to destroy pagan altars and sacred woods and to build Christian churches. They built one hundred churches, according to their tradition. The ninety-ninth church is said to have been built at Gozzano, and dedicated to Saint Lawrence. Julian was buried there. The hundredth church was built by Julius on the island that bears his name; he dedicated it to Saints Peter and Paul.

Vyuo vikuu vinahamsishwa kushiriki kikamilifu katika mchakato wa Uinjilishaji Mpya!

Baba Mtakatifu Francisko, Alhamisi tarehe 30 Januari 2014 amekutana na kuzungumza na Wajumbe wa Chuo Kikuu cha Notre Dame, chenye makao yake makuu huko Indiana, Marekani; chuo ambacho kilianzishwa kunako mwaka 1842 na Padre Edward Sorin, kutoka Shirika la Santa Croce.

Chuo hiki kwa sasa kimeamua kufungua tawi lake mjini Roma, ili kuendeleza mchakato wa kuwarithisha vijana wa kizazi kipya utajiri unaofumbatwa katika historia, tamaduni na maisha ya kiroho. Roma ni mji ambamo watakatifu Petro na Paulo waliyamimina maisha yao, kielelezo cha imani inayoendelea kuungamwa na mashahidi wa nyakati zote pamoja na kurithishwa kutoka kizazi kimoja hadi kingine kwa njia ya: familia, shule na parokia

Aliyeponzwa na tattoo za Diamond afunguka

MWANADADA anayedaiwa kutoka kimahaba na msanii wa muziki wa kizazi kipya, Nassib Abdul ‘Diamond’, Farida Msofe, amefunguka kuwa aliyekuwa mume wake ndiye chanzo cha yeye kuwa na mapenzi na msanii huyo. Farida ambaye hakutaka kumtaja jina mumewe huyo, alidaia kuwa alifikia hatua hiyo baada ya kuanza kumletea wanawake ndani ya nyumba yao akidai ni dada zake.

Akizungumza na mwandishi wa habari hizi, Farida ambaye pia ni msanii wa filamu nchini, alisema kuwa ameishi na mume wake kwa miaka tisa lakini kadiri siku zinavyokwenda, ndivyo upendo unavyopoa na kitendo cha kufikia uamuzi wa kuwa na mapenzi na Diamond na kuchora tattoo zake ili kujibu mashambulizi kwa mumewe ambaye naye alijichora jina la mwanamke wake mgongoni.
“Binafsi nilikuwa nampenda sana mume wangu, lakini kitendo cha kuwa anakuja na hawara zake nyumbani kwa nyakati tofauti, huku nikiwapikia bila kujua, kilinifanya na mimi niwe na hasira hasa baada ya kumuona mume wangu

Vodka inawaua wanaume Urusi

Wanaume walevi Urusi

Idadi kubwa ya vifo vya mapema nchini Urusi vinatokana na watu kunywa pombe nyingi , hasa Vodka.

Ripoti hii ni kulingana na utafiti uliofanywa hivi karubini nchini humo.

Utafiti huo kwenye jarida la Lancet unasema kuwa robo ya wanaume nchini Urusi wanakufa kabla ya kufikisha umri wa miaka 55 na wengi wao wanakunywa sana pombe.
Watafiti walichunguza

Mbwana Samatta Mchezaji Bora Wa Mwaka

Mshambuliaji wa Taifa Stars, Mbwana Samatta amechaguliwa kuwa mchezaji bora wa mwaka na mashabiki wa klabu yake ya TP Mazembe katika ya mchezaji bora wa mwaka wa klabu hiyo iliyopewa jina la “Corbeau d’Or”. Samatta ambaye amepewa jina la utani la “Samagoal” na mashabiki wa TP Mazembe aliwabwaga wachezaji wengine watano waliokuwa wakishindana.

Baada ya zoezi zima la upigaji kura matokeo yalikuwa kama ifuatavyo:
1. Mbwana Samatta – Kura 248
2. Asante Solomon – Kura 219
3. Robert Kidiaba – Kura 200
4. Nathan Sinkala – Kura 97
5. Rainford Kadaba – Kura 67