You think, for a priest like me, it must be Sunday, huh? You are wrong.
Not at least in my parish / mission! Actually, Sunday is the community celebration day. The Lord's Day. The Easter of the week. Though I wish I had only Mass on Sundays for the entire parochial community, gathered as God's family at His table on the day of His only Son's Resurrection, even if - in fact - I have three consecutive Masses, two in the shrine and one in the one of nine outstations, constituting Kiabakari parish, still it is not as tough and physically and psychologically demanding as the Toughest Day of the Week, which is for me, surprise, surprise - Saturday!
You would expect 'normal' people to take it easy on Saturdays after demanding working week, Friday evening 'folly' for some, for many a day when you can at last sleep bit longer (which for some of people I know may be quite a big bit!).
For me though, Saturday is the most versatile in demands, toughest in variety of challenges and the beloved day for so many who think that on Saturday i have nothing else to do but to sit and wait for them to come and care for their 'shidas' (shida in Swahili means problem, trouble but also an agenda someone wants to share with you, a goal to achieve, issue to solve).
Today is the best example of toughness of TDW (Toughest Day of the Week). Waking up early to get ready for confessions before the morning Mass which on Saturday starts half an hour later than on Mondays to Thursdays to allow school kids, altar servers and all others coming for Saturday morning to arrive to church on time. A lot of confessions as usual, taking from time to time more than half an hour to hear them all. Then Holy Mass with Eucharistic adoration. Right after Mass people would come to the office with their shidas. Quick coffee and something to accompany it (to avoid a despicable type of breakfast called here
chai ya mkono mmoja - which means
one hand breakfast haha! Funny expression and describing a really poor situation - to have just a cup of tea, coffee with nothing else to munch on!). Pity! Executive Committee of Lay Parish Council arrive at their office in pastoral center to deal with other issues that do not need my attention. Then I would normally go for meetings - with altar servers, vocation group, Holy Childhood, catechumens from primary schools, sometimes meetings of parish lay council etc. Till lunch time or longer. In the afternoon I would hear confessions (as I am alone in the parish, I cannot do it on Sundays, time does not allow me to hear confessions before two Masses in the shrine, only before the Mass in the outstation) if there is no wedding Mass or something else like a Vigil Mass etc.
Today though, right after morning confessions and Holy Mass, I sat in the office for an hour, then drove to Isaba outstation for Baptismal Mass for a handful of catechumens, around ten only, and just two school kids who were prepared for their First Communion.
The Holy Mass started at 10.30 preceded by confessions as usual in outstations, then I was asked to rush to a dying person. I managed to get to an old lady, a godmother of one of the catechists their. She was fighting for her life. I was able to give her plenary indulgence in the hour of her death and the Sacrament of the Sick. Then suddenly rain came. I think the Lord was pleased with the service rendered to a godmother of the catechist. The Lord never fails to take care of their chosen ones...I saw it so many times in my life! The priest will be their for them when he is needed most. I was so glad and relieved that the lady was safe, whatever awaited her from then on...
Drove back home with my altar servers, got something to keep me alive and kicking, then on 2.30pm I begun hearing confessions of the school kids who will receive their First Communion tomorrow, during Corpus Christi solemn Mass and will follow Jesus in monstrance walking behind the Eucharistic Tent. All of them on my list (51 altogether) showed up and were truly very well prepared. We had last catechesis yesterday afternoon along with practical exercises of how to confess and also how to receive properly a host.
It took me three hours to hear all confessions (theirs and some other parishioners who came to prepare themselves for tomorrow's Solemnity). I pity them that they are forced to come to me, as they have no choice of priests. I'm the only one around. I would really love to have an assistant parish priest (or curate as they called in other countries), but that's how it is, we are still very few and most missions in this diocese are served by single priests.
Just came back from the church, making sure all is ready for tomorrow. And decided to share these few lines with you.
So TDW is what it looks like here in Kiabakari. But it feels special when I sit just like this, after finishing all things since early morning till dusk, feeling kind of satisfaction that is very rewarding and making the physical and psychological exhaustion a blessing rather than a cross.
Happy and blessed Corpus Christi Solemnity to you all!
