Pilgrims United Online: Streaming Live with the Martyrs on Defiance,Resilience,Adaptability,Hope

Mr Linor Owor conducts the Gulu Diocesan Select Choir,at the Matrys' Day Celebration June 3rd ,2019.

 By Lambert Brian Rusoke

“Pilgrims united in Christ to our home,Firm ahead we strive.
Christ is the way that will lead to our goal,Now our hopes range high.
Long ago we walked in darkness, now we have the light,
Yes, with faith we search in brightness,Faith in Jesus Christ”-

And the procession  hymn played on ,as  the pilgrimages of 3^rd June  2019 ,drew the curtains on ,a lovely and colorful ,Martyr’s Day celebrations in Namugongo.

Gulu Diocese had orchestrated a flawless event ,with Masaka Diocese at hand to  receive the baton,to lead proceedings at this year’s celebration .The preparations were in high gear from day one. 

“We have to give our new Bishop a befitting welcome to the ‘chair’,” a parishioner from SSanje,echoed,at the consecration of Bishop Saverus Jumba last year,as new Bishop of Masaka Diocese,replacing the now retired John Baptist Kaggwa.

The fundraising kicked off with the best foot forward.The planning committees were set up.

The faithful of Masaka Diocese were keen to live up to the billing ,that comes with commemorating the Martyrs’ efforts with perfection. 

Auditions for the Diocesean Matryrs’ Day  Choir were up and running. From various sub parishes ,to parishes ,schools and different organizations, the ‘battle’ to have a slot in the 500 member  Choir, was tense,competitive,and yet with great sources of joy and enjoyment.Then Covid -19 Happened.

All of a sudden,every preparation came to a halt.We were in a crisis.And gatherings like what happens at both the Namugongo and Nakiyanja shrines,deemed very high risk and concentration areas in the spread of the virus by World Health Organisation and the health ministries ,were to be precluded.

When Corona   struck,there was a case of Easter of  in Quarantine.And this was the first.For over 2000 years,since the story of Jesus was first told in Rome,his followers have never seen an Easter like this.For example,the most poignant,moment of the paschal events in the Catholic Church,comes on good Friday,when the Pope leads worshippers on a walk,with fourteen stops,enacting the progress of Jesus towards execution.This time,an empty congregation in Rome,was what greeted him.Empty congregations are what the Church leaders are meeting in every corner of the country. And Empty congregations are what Namugongo and Nakiyanja shall taste this time round.

We are now adopting  to new technology. Ways of worshiping and ,contributing to the  church, are bound to change. 

Facebook streaming and Televised prayer sessions, is what has become and taken up the ,’New Normal” in praise and worship. 

Fact is ,Corona and  Social distancing have altered ,and in some cases eradicated tradition.

The story of the Uganda Martyrs is  that which portrays defiance,resilience,adaptability and hope. 

Defiant ,in the sense that, they went against the king’s orders or cultural beliefs, for the newly introduced Christian teachings, that laid a foundation for what many faithful stand for.

Corona has defied the way we think and relate to one another. Some deliberate but many unconsciously. Some temporary ,but others potentially permanent. And yet,are already  coming to define our new normal. 

In here, we need to priotize,as a Christian, the vices that should be denied an entry into post covid.We must defy these.

On Resilience, the  martyrs were only adapting and accommodating, rather than resistance, to the suffering. That’s what it is to live through hardships for sustained periods of time. The lockdown times have tested our patience,they have determined the way we think about a basic way of living,they have tested our faith and reliance on a Supreme ,in terms of dark times.And we are not about to give up.

In one of the whats-app groups I subscribe to, there has always been a message coming through, requesting those with extra food or basics, to help out  a group member, who may not necessarily be confident to come out and ‘beg’.The response has been positive.And the numbers in dire need of help aren’t  small.Group members here, are not about to give up on their own.

It’s with these few reflections,that we can hope for a better life,if we get our lessons right.No matter how bad it is,you adopt and live one life as best as you can.Its resilience through acceptance.

When I have reflected upon the disruptive moments marked on my personal roadmap of life,I have noted that most of them became  occasions for what I’d call soul-talk,the sort  of conversation Jesus often had with his disciples on the heels of a disappointment  or a failure.

The Pilgrimages of this year should become thankful for the disruptive moment that Covid 19 has become.Not that its anything to celebrate,but a moment seemed to be framed in pain,and in difficult circumstances,because as in Balaam’s case(See Num 22:21-35),God seems to allow trauma in order to make us open a little talk at soul level.

The Disrupted Matrys’ Day celebrations are not  a loss,but a chance to rebuild our broken souls.

Happy Martys’ Day.

lambertrusoke@gmail.com