EMY - March: People living with disabilities - Catholic Diocese of Manzini
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EMY – March: People living with disabilities
Posted on March 2, 2020 by Neliswa Mdluli
Topic for February: People living with disabilities
Saint of the month: Bl. Margaret of Castello
Blessed Margaret was born blind, with severe curvature of the spine; her right leg was an inch and a half shorter than her left, and her left arm was malformed. She never grew beyond 4 feet tall. Her parents kept little Margaret hidden away in their house in Metola in the Italian province of Umbria. She was 6 years old when the family travelled to a shrine at Castello, hoping for a miracle. When no miracle took place, Margaret’s mother and father abandoned her. Some women of Castello found the terrified child and took care of her. Later, a couple (Venfarino and Grigia) adopted her. At 15, she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic, which permitted her to wear the habit and take the vows of a nun.
Margaret’s disabilities did not make her bitter; rather, she became one of the most generous, sympathetic people in Castello. She nursed the sick, consoled the dying and visited prisoners. In the sufferings of her neighbours she saw the image of the suffering Christ. As for her own disabilities, she regarded them as a means to unite her pain with the pain Christ endured on the cross. Her courage, her patience and her deep religious devotion won her the affection of everyone in Castello.
Margaret died when she was 33 years old. During her Requiem Mass, a girl whose legs were crippled dragged herself to Margaret’s coffin. She touched the casket, then stood up and began to walk. Blessed Margaret (1287-1320) is the patron saint of the poor and anyone dealing with a disability or physical challenge. She also is venerated as one of the patron saints of the pro-life movement.
→ Accept life as the most precious gift of God
→ Being positive with deformities
→ Take up daily cross
(The Siswati version of this post can be found after the video)
This video has been prepared by the Extraordinary Missionary Year (EMY) team inviting us to pray for people living with disabilities in this month of March
Sihloko saMarch: Bantfu labakhubatekile
Magaretha lobusisiwe watalwa ayimphumphutse, anekugobana lokumatima kwemgogodla; umlente wakhe wangesekudla umfishanyana kunewangesancele nemkhono wangesancele uchwalile. Akakhulanga kwengca emanyatselo lamane ngebudze. Batali bakhe bamvalela Magaretha amncane endlini yabo eMetola esifundzeni seTaliyane saseUmbriya. Abeneminyaka lesitfupha ngekikhatsi umndeni uhamba uya esakhiweni lesingcwele eCastello, bafuna simangaliso. Nakute simangaliso lesentekako, unina neyise waMagaretha bamshiya. Labanye bafati baseCastello bamtfola lomntfwana lowetfukile bamnakekela . Muva, indvodza nemfati bamtsatsa bamkhulisa. Aneminyaka lelishumi nesihlanu wangenela Sigaba Sesitsatfu sebaka Dominiki Locwebile, lesamvumela kutsi embatse ingubo yakhona ente tifungo tebundzela.
Kukhubateka kwaMagaretha akumentanga waba nesihlungu; esikhundleni, waba ngulomunye walabanenhlitiyo levulekile neluvelo kakhulu eCastello. Abenaka labagulako, advudvuta labafako ahambela tiboshwa. Etinhluphekweni tabomakhelwane bakhe wabona umfanekiso waKhristu lohluphekako. Kukhubateka kwakhe kona wakutsatsa njengetaba tekuhlanganisa buhlungu bakhe nebuhlungu labuva Khristu esiphambanweni. Sibindzi sakhe, kubeketela kwakhe nekukholwa lokujulile kwamzuzela lutsandvo lwawonkhe wonkhe eCastello.
Magaretha wafa asaneminyaka lengu-33 budzala. NgeliMisa lekumvalelisa, intfombatana lebeyichwale imilente yatihudvula yeta ebhokisini laMagaretha. Watsintsa libhokisi wase uyasukuma ucala kuhamba. Magaretha Lobusisiwe ungumncuseli locwebile walabamphofu, nabani lohlangabetana nekukhubateka noma bumatima emtimbeni. Uphindze ahlonishwe njengalomunye webancuseli labacwebile bemzabalazo lokhutsata imphilo.
→ Yemukela imphilo njengesipho lesiligugu kakhulu saNkulunkulu.
→ Kuba nelitsemba ekukhubatekeni
→ kutsatsa siphambano semalanga onkhe sekuhlupheka
→ Pro-life: Kunga fihli bantfu labakhubatekile
First Sunday of Lent – Year A →
← SODV act Workshop at Good Shepherd Parish