ON THE OCCASION OF THE CELEBRATION

OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE

CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER IN ZIMBABWE

 

To all Redemptorists

 

The celebration of fifty years of the presence and work of the Redemptorists in Zimbabwe is an occasion of great joy, for us, and for Redemptorists elsewhere. The coming of age of our mission here is the achievement and commitment of generations of confreres from the London Province, the South African Province, the General Government and of many other units of our congregation all over the world, who have shown great solicitude and rendered much needed help.

 

It is also an achievement of the local Church in Zimbabwe; the bishops, clergy, religious orders and congregations, and indeed the faithful, who have all welcomed, supported and worked alongside our fathers and brothers from the very beginning.

 

It is the achievement of the Zimbabwean young men, who have joined our formation programme over the past half century, who were subsequently called elsewhere, and those who have persevered and remained. This jubilee is a celebration of how, the Redemptorists together with the many people of this country have given their lives for plentiful redemption.

 

“With the Lord there is plentiful redemption!” This is the central conviction of our Redemptorist charism. For St Alphonsus Liguori, our founder, and his early companions, the plentiful redemption of God was the critical driving force behind the project of their new congregation. It animated their life together in community and energized their ministry among the poor and the most abandoned. It thrust the congregation out of the kingdom of Naples and beyond.

 

The Redemptorist missionaries, who set out in 1960 and throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, to Southern Rhodesia and then Zimbabwe, were animated and energized by the same charism to live, celebrate, share and preach the gospel of plentiful redemption to the poor and the most abandoned.

 

They laid down the foundation that we now stand on, are building on, and will lead us into the unforeseen future. Thus, we decided to mark the first fifty years of our presence in this country by the theme: “Giving our lives for plentiful redemption.”

 

We were inspired to adopt the theme, “Giving our lives for plentiful redemption,” by the General Chapter of 2003 which advocated that: “The overriding reason for our choice of this theme is the faith in Jesus our Redeemer. We have been so captivated by the call of God that only by giving our lives for plentiful redemption can we respond to God’s love for us.”

 

As Zimbabwean Redemptorists and true sons of St Alphonsus, we strongly believe in Jesus Christ, our Most Holy Redeemer and we are determined to respond to God’s love for us by giving our lives. This is heritage that we have received in the last fifty years and we cherish it dearly.

 

We know, as Redemptorists everywhere do, that giving our lives for plentiful redemption has serious implications. On the personal level it calls each one of us to continual conversion. To be a Redemptorist is to be always seeking for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, a closer following of the Redeemer and a more profound witness of the new life in the Holy Spirit. In the words of St Clememt, it is to be always a novice!

 

“Giving our lives for plentiful redemption,” means dying to self in order that we can live the plentiful life of Jesus Christ. And that is not easy, but it is possible. It is possible through the help of God, the support that we give one another in community, the help we receive from those who we are sent give witness, who, in their own way, also give witness to us that in the Lord there is plentiful redemption.

 

“Giving our lives for plentiful redemption” has serious implications in a world where people are tempted to give their lives for lesser values. In a world that is increasingly abandoning God, we make a strong act of faith to give our lives for plentiful redemption.

 

Thus we have the courage to meet the world, to engage it fearlessly, to sustain a meaningful dialogue with it and to hold out to it the hope that our faith gives us. In Zimbabwe, the challenges to our faith are many today, and that makes it even more worthwhile to give our lives for plentiful redemption.

 

“Giving our lives for plentiful redemption” has serious implications, both favourable and unfavourable. As Redemptorists we are called to give of ourselves in season and out of season. The vicissitudes of the past fifty years and of our present times, in Zimbabwe, challenge us to be the true Redemptorist missionaries described in our Constitutions:

 

“Strong in faith, rejoicing in hope, burning with charity, on fire with zeal, in humility of heart, and persevering in prayer, Redemptorists as apostolic men and genuine disciples of Saint Alphonsus follow Christ the Redeemer with hearts full of joy; denying themselves and always ready to undertake what is demanding, they share in the mystery of Christ and proclaim it in Gospel simplicity of life and language, that they may bring to people plentiful redemption.” (Constitution #20)

 

This is the portrait of the beloved confreres who have gone before us. It is the portrait that we envisage for the present day Zimbabwean Redemptorist in the wake of the fiftieth anniversary of our presence here. This is what makes giving our lives for plentiful redemption challenging and exciting, profoundly engaging and life-giving.

 

This golden jubilee is a watershed for us in Zimbabwe. We celebrate it at a time when we are now a completely indigenous group. Many of our expatriate predecessors would have loved to see this day but they did not. Their labour was not wasted, their toil not in vain – they planted and watered the seed that we now harvest abundantly. This redoubles our gratitude to them. They are a powerful witness in spirit, and an enthusiastic presence in our hearts, wherever they are; abroad and in heaven.

 

We celebrate giving our lives to plentiful redemption at this critical moment, when we are heeding the message of the XXIV General Chapter: “To preach the Gospel ever anew: (with) renewed hope, renewed hearts, renewed structures for mission.” Together with other Redemptorists on the African Continent and Madagascar, we are searching for ways of consolidating our presence and responding with a faith, characteristic of our congregation, to the needs of mission in Africa and Madagascar.

 

We are confident that we will be equal to the task of mission, preaching the good news to the poor and most abandoned, that lie ahead of us in the next fifty years and beyond. Our confidence is grounded in our faith in God. Our faith in God is nourished by the experience of plentiful redemption lived in our communities, in the gospel fraternity that bind us together, inserted in the local Church, alongside our brothers and sisters, whom we are called to serve. That becomes the first instance of our proclamation of plentiful redemption – giving our lives with each other - even before we can preach explicitly.

 

We give our lives for plentiful redemption in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, whom we were taught by those who came before us, in the last half century, to honour and love as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Mary, in the most perfect pattern, gave her life for plentiful redemption, by becoming the mother of our Most Holy Redeemer. She is our companion as we strive to preach the gospel ever anew and renewing our hearts and our structures for mission.

 

May Our Lady of Perpetual Help accompany us and intercede for us always. May St Alphonsus, all our Redemptorist saints and blessed, and all those confreres who served in this country and are now in heaven, pray for us.

 

Yours in the Most Holy Redeemer,

 

Fr William Guri, C.Ss.R.

Regional Superior.