Members of the Albertus college community gathered in the St. Catherine of Siena Chapel on December 3, 2015 for some quiet prayer, scripture reading and preaching by one of the students, Sr. Magreth Mkenda, M.M.
Sr. Magreth was born in Tanzania where she worked for three years as a primary school teacher. After joining the Maryknoll Sisters, Sr. Magreth spent three years at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago for theological studies and cross-cultural training. She then spent nine years in Bolivia working in a program for street children and as a primary school teacher.
For the scripture reading Sr. Magreth selected the daily Gospel reading from Matthew. In her preaching Sr. Magreth pointed out the mercy, compassion and healing provided by Jesus to the mute, the deformed, the lame, and the blind. She then invited all of us to be in touch with what needs healing in our own lives, spaces in which we need to experience God’s mercy. Sr. Magreth also recalled God’s abundant love given to the people as Jesus provided food to satisfy their hunger as well as extra food.
For all those in the scripture passage, who were healed and experienced God’s abundant feast, their response began with a call of faith and trust in God’s promise to be with them in their greatest needs. Sr. Magreth reminded those present of the faith and trust shown by the four women who were martyred in El Salvador because of the response they made to God’s call to be with the suffering of the people.
Sr. Magreth invited those present to contemplate their own call, their need of healing and their experience of God’s compassionate love for them – all part of the Advent journey.