UTUME KWA VIJANA – 15
Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB
Vijana na Dini
Ilikuwa Jumapili asubuhi. Nilikuwa najiandaa kwenda kwenye ibada, simu yangu ya mikononi ikalia. Kulikuwa na sms kutoka msichana mmoja ambaye aliwahi kuwa mwanafunzi wangu katika Chuo Kikuu. Ujumbe ukasema, “Padre, sijisikii kwenda kwenye misa leo. Nataka kwenda. Je, unaweza kunipa sababu tatu ili kunimotisha kwenda kanisani?” Nikampa sababu moja tu, “Yesu anakusubiri!” Basi, hatimaye akaenda!
Barani Afrika kati ya washiriki wa ibada za kanisani bado wengi ni vijana. Vyama vya vijana viko hai sehemu nyingi, na vijana wanachangia kiasi kikubwa katika kuboresha liturjia, kwa njia ya kuimba na kucheza ngoma za kiliturjia. Je, vijana kweli wanajisikia nyumbani katika kanisa? Je, kanisa linatimizia kweli mahitaji ya vijana? Je, mambo ya dini ni kwa ajili ya wazee tu? Na kwa nini baadhi ya vijana wamekuwa watalii wa kidini – yaani wanapenda kutembelea makanisa mengi kuonja mahubiri na liturjia tofauti tofauti? Katika makala hii tujitahidi […]
Month: March 2011
Katekisimu kwa ajili ya Vijana – 1
UTUME KWA VIJANA – 16
Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB
Katekisimu kwa ajili ya Vijana – 1
Utangulizi:
Kutokana na uzoefu wangu wa kutoa semina na mafungo kwa ajili ya vijana katika nchi za Afrika Mashariki nimeona kuwa vijana wengi wana maoni kuhusu imani ya kikristu ambayo ni hafifu. Wengine wana msimamo wa kikristu ambao unawabana mno, hata wanaona hawawezi kuwa wakristu wakamilifu. Wengi wanaishi na mgogoro kati ya imani iliyo kali na maadili ya kujiruhusu mno. Kutokana na katekesi potofu vijana wengi wana msimamo wa zamani, au msimamo ambao hauendani na mafundisho rasmi ya kanisa la sasa. Kwa ujumla, uelewa wa imani yao haujakua kadiri ya ukuaji wa umri na maendeleo ya historia ya dunia na kanisa.
Katika makala hii basi, ningependa kutoa kwa mtindo wa maswali na majibu mawazo machache yanayoweza kuleta picha ya ukristu yenye furaha na uhuru. Yesu alisema nimekuja ili muwe na uhai, tena uhai tele (Yn 10:10). Kwa hiyo, […]
Katekisimu kwa ajili ya Vijana – 2
UTUME KWA VIJANA – 17
Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB
Katekisimu kwa ajili ya Vijana – 2
Utangulizi:
Katika makala iliyopita tulieleza malengo ya “Katekisimu hii kwa ajili ya Vijana” na tulitoa maswali 11 pamoja na majibu yake. Katika makala hii tunaendelea na mfulilizo huo.
12. Kwa nini niungame kwa padre?
Ninapotenda dhambi ninajitenga na Mungu na kanisa (yaani Jumuiya/jamii). Padre kama mwakilishi wa Mungu na kanisa ananipatanisha na Mungu na kanisa. Pili, Mungu asiyeonekana ananijulisha kuwa amenisamehe kwa njia ya vitendo na maneno katika nafsi ya padre anayeonekana.
13. Katika sakramenti ya maungamo nieleze dhambi namna gani?
Ili nipate uponyaji kwa dhambi zangu, niwe nataja tendo nililofanya pamoja na mazingira na lengo lililokuwa nalo nilipotenda dhambi, kama nikiona linaweza kuathiri uzito wa dhambi.
Kwa kweli nikiwa nataja dhambi za jumla (k.m. nilivunja amri ya sita), hivi sitaonja uponyaji mwenyewe. Ninapoeleza wazi dhambi zangu ninaonyesha pia moyo wa majuto pamoja na nia ya kujirekebisha, kwa neema ya Mungu.
14. Mbona sisi […]
Short Story – One Euro
The train is dashing through tunnels, gliding over bridges. But I sit there feeling homesick. The initial excitement of coming to Europe has now left an emptiness in my stomach. It is not that I am hungry. I simply miss theugali and sukuma wiki.
I miss the hustle and bustle of Korogocho. The nostalgic smell of the dark dirty soil. The tantalizing smell of nyama choma. The concealed fragrance of Omo from the washing of the clothes on the streets. The jostling crowds and the rubbing of shoulders. The bustling activity around the kiosks. The dirges sung by drunkards as they stagger their way home. The freedom of the children running around.
When you are in those wretched hovels of Nairobi’s slums you dream of being in the skyscrapers of America – or in the castles of Europe. But when you are here, suddenly you feel lonely. Strange!
It is not that the people here are unkind. In fact they are very polite. Very well trained in social etiquette. Simply, you are a stranger. You are not […]
Short Story – Under the Baobob
“Judy, what are you dreaming about?” The threatening voice of the teacher woke me up. I was indeed awake. But it was true that I was dreaming – daydreaming. What was I dreaming about? About the baobab tree that stood on our school campus? Yes and no.
There stood a baobab at our school campus. It stood right on the path between our classrooms and our dormitories. No one knew how old it was. But for sure, it looked quite old, as most baobabs are. Its trunk was decorated or, one could say, dirtied by a myriad of graffiti that ranged from names of girls who were once students in our school to names of boys who perhaps were once friends of our girls.
This morning the baobab had warned me as I walked to class.
I was actually thinking about Flora. As I sat in the class that day I watched Flora. She had her head down. Perhaps she didn’t take the porridge that morning. Most […]