By Fr. Jerry Lohera, SSC
Bewilderment and compassion are my two dominant feelings when reflecting about the realities of our children here in Mother Mary Parish in the Southeastern part of Pakistan.
Jesus‘ sermon on the Mount is particularly fitting for them, deep inside, I protes the root cause of their dire situation, which I believe doesn‘t please God at all. Recently, Pope Francis convened children from more than 100 countries for the first World Children‘s Day in Rome. The Pope emphasized our vital role in guiding our children in their faith journey, especially in the context of the world they need to understand and encounter today.
In the parish level, it is of great importance that there is a child-friendly environment which allows children to find joy and a sense of belongingness primarily in the church‘s sacramental and liturgical life, as well as crafting activities that may inspire and foster their involvement in the community. For the young Parkari Kohli community, journeying and forming children is crucial because they live in a country that has a strong influence of Islam and Hinduism in social relations and consciousness among others. Some of these influences are life-giving, such as being family-oriented, but others are dehumanizing, like religious discrimination and many other social issues.
At St. John Baptist Urdu Primary School, students, both Hindu and Christian, participate in the dramatization of the Nativity. Here we see the shepherds with their sheep approaching to pay homage to the newborn child.
Due to poverty, many of our children have forgotten how to smile and it saddens me to see this happening. To bring in some fun moments into their lives, our parish team and I bring coloring materials for the children based on Sunday‘s gospel reading, in the villages that we visit. Here in Pakistan, color, especially bright ones, are a creative expression of life, beauty and ‘freedom‘. A child holding a crayon for the first time bursts with excitement to do the coloring with their favorite color.
Children are having fun while playing games as everyone cheer them on. It is refreshing to see the smiles
of the children and villagers, a welcome change from the usual weary faces.
My own challenging childhood was not very different from theirs, which is why I can see myself in them. Thanks to my father, who taught me many valuable things, including to dream big, to believe, to persevere and to have the ability to imagine. These are the qualities our children in the villages lack. To shepherd them is a long journey a ‘road tough and less travelled,‘ yet it has full of opportunities and a room for creativity. Everything is possible when the entire community work and learn from each other to shepherd and guard our children through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who animates us.
Children in Essa Nagar Primary School dramatizing the Nativity in Essa Nagar (Jesus’ Place) in celebration of Christ’s birth.
