Brother Procuro

It is a profound and humbling experience to listen to an African Brother speak the joyful words of the gospel. Brother Procuro Amedeus introduced himself to me today. He had difficulty understanding English but he spoke well enough for me to understand him. His English was not good because his family was too poor to send him to a school that taught good English. The better and more expensive private schools teach children to speak and understand more English. He was in the Kilacha congregation of Jesus the Redeemer.

After speaking about the large number of priests and religious in Tanzania and in Africa, I told him that it was not like that in the United States. When he asked why I told him that when people have material goods they think that they have all that they need and they forget about God. Then he began speaking about how the Africans remember that the white people came both to bring the Christian faith and to exploit them. He said that what man intended for evil God used for good. He spoke about how the white people of Europe have largely forgotten their Christian faith and how the Africans remember it. He spoke about how God is near to the poor and how difficult it is for the rich to be with God. All of this was spoken with such simplicity, gentleness, and joy that I was very moved.
Then Brother Procuro told me about the mission of his religious order is to pray for the world and especially that the Christian faith will return to Europe. He reminded me of how short our lives are and how we need to seek after things that are eternal rather than the temporal. I told him that I am working for that same goal in farming. I will help people to consider the long term use of the soil in addition to improving short term yields.

In writing this down, it is impossible with my meager writing skills to convey the beauty of this interaction. By the world’s standards this man should think of himself as oppressed, poor, and unhappy but instead he radiated joy, thankfulness, and forgiveness. He ended by explaining that I should feel at home in Tanzania because we are all one family. In the U.S. I hear this spoken in a way that is trite. Brother Procuro truly meant it and he showed the Father’s love to me today. Thank you.