REFLECTIONS OF A KENYAN PRIEST

By Fr. Casmir Odundo We always celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Advent; just as we always celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, her spouse, in Lent.   It is something providential because the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the great icons of Advent. While we are in Advent for just around four weeks…the Blessed Virgin Mary was in Advent for nine months. Or we can say for even more years, as she was a Jew and therefore shared together with all the Jews the hope of the coming of the Messiah! Perhaps that is why her solemnity of the Immaculate Conception fits so well during this season. Through her Immaculate Conception the Church celebrates just how God prepared her for her unique mission of being the Mother of God. And Advent is also a season of preparation…and of waiting. As we prayed today in the Preface, because of her Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the model for holiness. Also, in three to four d...

  By Rev. Fr. Casmir Odundo, Kibet   “Still bearing fruits when they are old; still full of sap, still green…” (Psalm 92: 14) One of the great milestones for any priest…I know because I am a priest…is the celebration of the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of Priestly Ordination.  Well, Nakuru diocese’s first priest Most Rev. Peter Joseph Kairu is exactly one year shy of this momentous event. Today is the 8th Day of November, exactly 49 years ago, Bishop Peter Joseph Kairo, was ordained into the Holy Priesthood in his home parish, St. Mary’s Molo by the then Bishop of Machakos Rt. Rev. Ndingi Mwana’ a’ Nzeki. Nakuru Diocese was erected as a diocese on 11 th January 1968. The diocese remained without a Bishop till on 30 th August 1971 when Bishop Ndingi, previously the Bishop of Machakos was appointed by Pope Paul VI as the Bishop of Nakuru. It was during this period of Sede Vacante that he was ordained a priest. Reflecting on his priestly ordination,...

By Fr. Casmir Odundo The bell to the rectory rang. Fr. Maxwell, the Parochial Vicar (Curate) ran to open the door. It was Mrs. Edna. “ Good morning Father Maxwell, I am looking for Fr. Protus, the Parish Priest. ” She said. “ Good Morning, he is not around, he has left for a one week seminar. Is there anything I can help you with? ” Asked Fr. Maxwell. She kept quiet for a while, then she said she will come back next week. Fast forward to the next week, she was again at the rectory. This time it was Fr. Protus, the Parish Priest who opened the door. “ Mrs. Edna, glad you are here, I was told you were looking for me, last week, what’s up? ” “ Father, I just wanted you to bless my rosary. ” She said pulling out her rosary. “ And you had to wait for a whole week. Why couldn’t you ask Fr. Maxwell to bless it for you? ”   “ Well, ” he is just a Curate, you are the Parish Priest. ” She added. “Mrs. Edna, the “Real Parish Priest” is in the tabernacle, we are only ...

By Rev. Fr. Casmir Odundo “ I have come to bring fire on earth! ” Just this week, it was reported that at least 60 people were killed and 70 others were hospitalized after a fuel tanker explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania. We pray for the eternal repose of the dead, quick recovery to the sick and consolation to their families. The Englishmen say that, fire is a good servant but a bad master! Today’s readings seems somehow upsetting and contradictory. We know Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the source of unity. We know him as a defender of family life. But in today’s Gospel passage, he says that we should not think that he came to bring peace on earth. He did not come to bring peace but rather division. He talks of brining fire on earth and separating family members, “ three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her...

By Fr. Casmir Odundo This Sunday’s gospel passage is on the Good Samaritan; one of the most famous parables of Jesus with many interpretations. Of course, the Gospel is ever new. Every time you read and meditate upon it something new comes out. Of the many interpretations of this passage, the one I like best is that given by the Fathers of the Church particularly St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom and many others. According to St. Augustine, the “man” who fell at the hands of robbers in this case is “Adam” and by extension all of us. Augustine compares the state of this man to what befell our first parents in the Book of Genesis, resulting in Original Sin. This “man” was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho. According to St. Augustine, Jerusalem which etymologically means “the City of Peace” represents heaven. On the other hand Jericho represents “human mortality.” Thus it depicts how our first parents fell from Grace to sin. The robbers in this case represen...

By Rev. Fr. Casmir Odundo, Kibet  A couple of weeks ago, a young person shared with me her experience: “ Father, my heart has been broken so many times? ” She said. “ Well, is there any piece of it left? ” I asked. We must begin our reflection on the Sacred Heart of Jesus with our own hearts. I recently asked a medical student, about the anatomy of heart of a human person. Several things still remain from our conversation. First is of course the fact that the heart is a vital organ; necessary for life. Sometimes doctors rely on the heart beat to know if someone is alive or dead. Anatomy of the Heart If your heart stops beating you are dead. The heart of course, as I shall explain, is a symbol of love. So, I interpreted it like, “ if you stop loving, you are dead.” Secondly, the efficiency of the heart. It is a quite a small organ, the size of our fist, but it manages to pump over 5 litres of blood all over the body. I asked the said student about what is normally...

By Fr. Casmir Odundo 1.0 The Notion of Brain Drain The term  brain drain  is believed to have been coined by the  Royal Society  to describe the emigration of “ scientists  and technologists ” to  North America  from  post-war   Europe . However, other scholars link this term to the United Kingdom where it was used to denote the influx of Indian scientist and engineers. It originally referred to technology workers leaving a nation. However, the meaning later broadened into: “ the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another, usually for better pay or living conditions ”.  It is therefore the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with  technical skills or knowledge . The converse phenomenon is “ brain gain ”, which occurs when there is a large-scale  immigration  of technically qualified persons. Brain drain is common among develop...