By Fr Joseph Panabang SVD

Proud Pajamas

At Kwabea Village, we were just starting the Mass when the Church president came in looking proud in his new stripped pajamas. For him, there is no difference between pajamas and ordinary pants. And, why should there be? Afterall, pajamas have always been daytime wear to both women and men in the Middle East. It was the westerners who adapted it for night wear. Maybe they smile when we go to bed in daytime clothes.

Christian – Muslim Dialogue

At the Prayer of the Faithful, I opened one of the Mass intentions. I discovered that a local Muslim, known as Yaglah, was requesting a special prayer which read “I am earnestly requesting a Catholic prayer for my intention.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if mosques and churches interchanged prayers requests frequently?

Cosmos

From the Diocesan Sister I took variety of flowers which they told me are all called Marigold. When they blossomed, the flowers were indeed of different types. On the same day I was tattering them, an Indian Missionary Sister working at a nearby parish begged for some. Worse, she wanted to know the name of each flower. So determined to name each flower according to its color and petals, I started, “Sister this is Yellow gold, and these are Yellow Yellow Non –Winged Marigold but this Half Golden Hollowed Marigold is nothing compare dot this one whom the Botanist Scientist called –Sputnik (because the petals look like a cosmonaut capsule). She stood there aghast regretting, I think she had asked me.

What’s His name?

Candy is a teacher from Northern Ghana. She is now a postulant of the RVM Sister (Religious of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Dropping in for a visit, she asked, “How do you really pronounce your name? I pronounce it “BANANA” she said [instead of Panabang]. She laughed when she heard how far out she was. But then, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. [Our drawing shows Candy when she was a child! Sorry Candy.]

From the mouths of the unlearned

We had a problem between some members of the Charismatic group and some elders of the Church. When the Parish Priest left, some people begun throwing stones at the roof of the old church where the Charismatics were praying. During heated confrontation a few days later, the Charismatics vehemently accused elders of throwing those stones but one of the old women stood up and said, “Those who throw the stones were not people. They were angels sent by God because of your attitudes.” She was still speaking when laughter’s engulfed the whole room and eased the tension which had been mounting.

God help’s those who help themselves

While watering our backyard garden, one of my catechists to my annoyance kept pestering me with his problem expecting me to solve it for him; to do everything for him without him moving a finger. As I drew close to one plot, I saw a sprouting seedling pushing up a rather heavy pebble almost half an inch from the ground. Fascinated, I called the catechist, “Come quick! Do you see that seedling? How it is trying to lift that pebble? Now, I see it really is doing something to solve its own problem. I will help it.” Immediately I lifted the pebble to the relief of the plant. Turning back to my catechists, I said, “Go and do the same; the remaining half of your problem, I will lift up but never expect me or someone to lift the stone before you come out." He fell silent and thoughtful.