You are the salt of the earth; but, if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be returned? (Matt 5:13). Jesus spoke these words to his disciples who were sent into mission. After two years of mission in African lands, I have felt described by these words on many occasions. Above all, by the second part of the phrase, which is in some ways scary but at the same time so true. Mission, in fact, constantly puts you in front of your impotence and smallness before the poverty and the suffering of the world. And yet, adds Jesus, You are the light of the world; a city set upon a hill cannot be hidden (Matt 5:14). You cannot turn back.
One of these occasions happened a few weeks ago when, the door of the little hospital of Kahawa Wendani, Lucy arrived, with her husband. This little hospital, run by the Fraternity of St. Charles, is right in the middle of a rather populous neighborhood in Nairobi. It is not, therefore, rare that someone will come to the office of the priest in search of economic help. And yet, that morning Lucy arrived, accompanied by a nurse, for another reason. There had been, in fact, dramatic news communicated to this young mother. The child that she had had in her womb for seven months already was affected by an anencephaly that would only allow her to live but a few seconds after her birth.
When the mother and the father of the child arrived at the office together with the doctor who was taking care of the couple, a cold silence fell in the room. The doctor began to explain what the malformation was and I, seated before them, had no words before the drama that the couple was living. I felt that the words being exchanged in the room were cold, aseptic, without any substance. The gaze of Lucy moved from the doctor to the floor and remained fixed there, looking at her feet. We could try to say something but what can you say to this mother? The doctor and I remained insipid before this pain that we could only distantly imagine.
The only words that I could say were not mine but those of Jesus
Lucy needed to have the child; she wanted a delivery that would be quick and painless but it was not going to be possible. We asked her if she is Christian, and she responded that she is Protestant and so we prayed an Our Father together to entrust her to God. Her eyes did not move from the floor. She asked that everything could be resolved in a few hours so she could return to normal life, to what her life was like before. But it was not possible. The little girl in her womb was a human being, and all of the organs were completely formed except for her cranium and brain. She must be delivered through a normal childbirth, painful as all others. I invited her to choose a name for her daughter and to consider her for what she is, which is a full-blown daughter. I told her that we could also baptize her to present her to the Lord, pure and ready to be welcomed in His arms. Lucy raised her gaze from the floor and a light had been rekindled: she asked if it is true that the little baby will go to Paradise and will be welcomed by God. Now she said she was ready to give birth to the child who will only experience but a moment of life.
It happened in the night, after a long and difficult labor. Mary -as the child was named-was born without a pulse. It was not possible to baptize her but we prayed with the two parents before her little body. Yet again, I had nothing to offer except a blessing: the only words that I could say were not mine but those of Jesus, the words that the Church asks me to say. They are new words because they introduce us into a new dimension. We spoke then of the hope that one day, in the eternity that follows this life, we will know who Mary is, the baby who lived just a few instants but leaving an indelible mark in the heart of her parents. Eternity entered into their life a new light, like salt that had given taste to the seconds that had passed so quickly. The morning after, with a fearful heart, I entered Lucy’s room to say hi to her. Reclining on her bed, she raised her gaze and asked immediately: “Mary is really in paradise?”. I responded that I am sure that she is in the arms of God. Eternity entered into Lucy’s horizon, and a light was relit in her eyes.
