The current restrictions due to COVID-19 forced us to decentralize the usual venue of the annual St Josemaria Feast Day Mass (The Holy Family Minor Basilica) in Nairobi. A couple of friends involved in the Young-Adult group - The ToB Gang (Theology of the body), came together to organize a similar Mass at one of their local parishes, Don Bosco Shrine. With the assistance of the Church’s Rectors, Fr Abel & Fr Nduati, we set the ball rolling intending to get our young professional friends, relatives, and colleagues to attend the Mass. To say the least, it was beautiful!
Not only was the main celebrant a young professional priest (Fr. Mark Muhoro) but also the choir was made up of young, well trained musicians ( Spellcast Media ). The efforts of the young professional volunteers, who made contributions in the form of time and money, led to the fruitfulness of the day’s events. The weather also played its part, with the sun shining bright, despite it being June and usually cold. About 100 people turned up for the Mass.
St Josemaria's point No.775 from his book The Way: "Many great things depend — do not forget it — on whether you and I live our lives as God wants," resounded throughout the homily.
St Josemaria's encounter with the footprints made by a Carmelite monk, walking barefoot in the snow to offer something up to Our Lord, led the young Josemaria (he was only 16 years old at that time) to ask himself what he could offer up to Our Lord. It was this not-so-little act by an unknown Carmelite that ignited the spark whose ripple effect has led and continues to lead many people today, young and not-so-young, to seek God in the ordinary things of life such as work well done, chores, traffic and the daily joys and inconveniences of life without leaving the world or having perfect circumstances. One small prompting of the heart, one small action, done for love of God, can truly echo through eternity.
St. Josemaria Escriva was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 6 October 2002 in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. During the days of the canonization, Church officials commented on the universal reach and validity of the message of St. Josemaría, echoing John Paul II's decree ‘Christi fideles Omnes’ on Escrivá's virtues which said that "by inviting Christians to be united to God through their daily work, which is something men will have to do and find their dignity in as long as the world lasts, the timeliness of this message is destined to endure as an inexhaustible source of spiritual light, regardless of changing epochs and situations."