Page 27 - Reflexions of African Bishops and Priests

the possibility to celebrate in memory of the Blessed are witnesses. St. Peter expressed this well when he
Virgin Mary because there is no other particular feast held up the example of a reverent and chaste life that
day. This tradition invites us to renew our faith and wins over even without a word those who refuse to
hope in Mary on Holy Saturday. To be invited to cele- obey the word. (cf. 1 P3, 1). It is therefore primarily by
brate in memory of Mary is to put ourselves under her her conduct and by her life that the Church will evan-
guidance, and to know and proclaim Jesus Christ to gelize the world, in other words, by her living witness
the world. To put ourselves under Mary’s guidance is of fidelity to the Lord Jesus – the witness of poverty
to contemplate her as the Model of hope at the foot of and detachment, of freedom in the face of the powers
the Cross of Jesus. It is to rediscover with her, Jesus, of this world, in short, the witness of sanctity.”
the Son of God that she carried, listened to and ac- This is for me the eloquent and luminous testi-
companied all the way to the Cross. mony of the Pilgrims of St. Michael that I am discov-
To put ourselves under Mary’s guidance is to ering in this year of grace 2009: pilgrims who advance
learn compassion from her: it means to feel bad when each day with courage in risking their lives, because
someone else does not feel well; to be in solidarity they are like little Davids, fighting the huge Goliath.
with those who suffer; to do all that is possible so that Pilgrims who are ready to die to liberate the poor and
every man and woman goes from a life condition that to help them to stand. Pilgrims who are decided each
is inhuman to a human one. We read this in Evangelii day to pursue the battle up to the moment when God
Nuntiandi (of Pope Paul VI), in Paragraphs 25 and 30. will get rid of their bodies of flesh to assume them into
The culture that was put in our hearts by the Holy Spir- eternal glory…
it should become action in favor of men and women; This discovery of the Pilgrims of St. Michael
and above all the poor. In other words, we should be- leads me to make my own these words of the ven-
come the arms and hands of Jesus to caress and con- erable Louis Even: “The good God takes care of us
sol every man, especially the poor. Our charity should when the hour has come for Him to intervene. In our
always be visible and alive; it should hear all men and country and all countries of the world, we know that
women, especially the poor. It is under Mary’s guid- today the people are suffering; we could say that it is
ance that we will be able to follow the mission of Jesus the hour of God, who put Social Credit on our path.”
in preaching the Gospel, the liberation of man from
all types of slavery and the renewing of our dignity as For my part, all the days of my life, I will bless the
sons… good God for putting this on my path. I will always
remember the rich and wonderful days of September
“Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel”, writes 2009 in Rougemont and I will put even more effort,
St. Paul. (1 Cor. 9:16.) To follow the mission of Jesus once back in my own country, in the service of the
today means to live the Gospel, to be a witness with social doctrine of the Church and social credit. May
all our life. Pope Paul VI says again in his apostolic ex- the Virgin accompany us on the road of the liberation
hortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, Paragraph 41: “Modern of man and may she support our efforts every day for
man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teach- the glory of God and the salvation of man, today and
ers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they forever and ever. Amen.

Archbishop Coulibaly concelebrating Holy Mass in Marieville on Sept. 3, 2009