Martin Jumbam

Droppings From The Barnicle: Christian Cardinal Tumi

By Tony Barnicle

Genesis 6.4 talks about “the heroes of old, the men of renown.” The King James Bible calls them “giants.” Every time I read this passage, I think about the time I lived with these giants, builders of a young church and a young nation, Cameroon. One of them is a man I met in 1965. He was a seminarian, home on vacation for the summer. A year later, on April 24, 1966, he celebrated his first Mass in our church, St. Mary’s in the village he grew up in, Kikaikelaki. I had the privilege of making the arrangements for that event. 

Catholic Meditation : Pentecost Sunday – Year C

By Martin Jumbam 

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, May 19, 2013 as Pentecost Sunday in liturgical year C.   In the entrance antiphon, we pray: “The Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world. It holds all things together and knows every word spoken by man. Alleluia.”

Pentecost comes from the Greek word for fiftieth day. It is fifty days since our Lord rose from the dead. Ten days ago, we celebrated His ascension into heaven. Before going up to his Father, Christ asked his disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there until he sent them his Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen their faith and send them preaching his word to the four corners of the world (Acts 1:4).

The Spirit in the Church is the vivid theme of today’s Mass as we commemorate the giving of the Spirit to the Apostles that led to the birth of the Church on the same day. Christ has fulfilled his promise, that of sending the Holy Spirit on his disciples. The Holy Spirit enables them to proclaim the Good News in all languages. The Old Testament had looked forward to the day when the Spirit would be poured out on the flesh. Now this has happened and the Spirit has come to recreate the world with the Word of Christ. That is what we hear in the First Reading.

Catholic Meditation - Seventh Sunday of Easter – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church celebrates Sunday, May 12, 2013, the last Sunday before Pentecost, as the seventh Sunday of Easter – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: ‘Lord, hear my voice when I call to you. My heart has prompted me to seek your face; I seek it, Lord; do not hide from me. Amen. Alleluia.’  

It is the Holy Spirit that enables Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to go to martyrdom as witness of his faith in Jesus Christ as we hear in the first reading of this day. In reporting the death of Stephen, Saint Luke draws parallels between his death and the crucifixion of Christ. Both of them preach repentance to the Jews and die praying for the forgiveness of their persecutors. The second reading is from the final part of the book of the Apocalypse. In it, Saint John concludes his account of his visions in a formal, solemn manner with Jesus addressing believers and encouraging them to persevere in their faith. The early Church expected Christ to return immediately and it is the thought of this imminent return which leads John to urge his fellow Christians not to lose hope despite the persecution they suffer. In the Gospel of John, we listen to the priestly prayer of Jesus Christ. It is the prayer that consecrates Jesus’ disciples for their mission, and sanctifies the Church they form. Even though it brings comfort and hope to the troubled hearts of the disciples, who know that he will be arrested and executed, it is a prayer that is also meant for all Christians down the centuries. Let us now listen to the first reading. 

Catholic Meditation - Ascension Thursday – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church celebrates Thursday, May 09, 2013 as the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord to heaven. It is one of the great solemnities in the Christian liturgical calendar and commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter. The Latin term used for the feast, ascensio, signifies that Christ was raised up by his own powers, and it is from these terms that the holy day gets its name. 

Saint Augustine says that the Ascension is to be seen with the eyes of faith which looks toward the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. “On this day therefore, that is, the fortieth after His Resurrection, the Lord ascended into heaven. We have not seen, but we believe. They who beheld Him proclaimed what they saw, and they have filled the whole earth: There are no speeches nor languages where their voices are not heard. Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world (Ps. xviii. 4, 5). And so they have reached even unto us, and awakened us from sleep. And lo! this death is celebrated throughout the world” (Saint Augustine, PL 38, Semo. 262. In die Ascensionis Domini IV). 

Catholic Meditation - Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, May 05, 2013 as the sixth Sunday of Easter – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: ‘Proclaim a joyful sound and let it be heard; proclaim to the ends of the earth: The Lord has freed his people. Amen. Alleluia’  

The Holy Spirit is very much in evidence in the readings of this Sunday. He guides the decision of the first Council of Jerusalem which decided that the new Christians from paganism should not be subjected to the purity rites of the Jews, as we hear in the first reading. In the second reading, Saint John sees in a vision the Church in the plenitude of her glory like a city built on the foundations of the Apostles. The holy city of Jerusalem is the image for the community of the saints who live in communion with God. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to us the Church in her glory. In the Gospel, Saint John talks about the continuing guidance of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promises to send to accompany and guide his disciples as they take his word of salvation to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit, who is to come from the Father, will stay with the disciples and help them live an authentic Christian life filled with joy, peace and happiness. 

Catholic Meditation - Fifth Sunday of Easter – Year C

 By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, April 28, 2013 as the fifth Sunday of Easter – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: ‘O sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked wonders; in the sight of the nations he has shown his deliverance. Amen. Alleluia.’  

We find strength and encouragement in the beautiful readings of the Eastertide. The first reading reminds us that the Church’s progress was not without hardship. Paul and Barnabas, whom the Holy Spirit had put apart for a special mission, now return to Antioch to report back on the mission God has achieved through them. Despite the opposition and even outright persecution of the disciples, the word of God still finds new access and wins new converts to the faith.  In the second reading, from the book of Revelation, John sees in a vision the new Jerusalem, where the community of those saved are enjoying peace and happiness in the company of the glorious Lord. In the Gospel, Saint John begins the discourse of the Last Supper, the most sublime of all the discourses in his Gospel. Jesus is now telling his Apostles what Calvary means and how the Father is to glorify him who is obedient even unto death. Then he gives them his great commandment of love: ‘Love one another as I have loved you,’ a commandment we should all make ours today.  

Catholic Meditation - Fourth Sunday of Easter – Year C

 

Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates April 21, 2013 as the fourth Sunday of Easter – Year C. It is usually referred to as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’. For the past fifty years, it has also been celebrated as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations or Vocations Sunday. Vocations Sunday was instituted by Pope Paul VI when the Vatican II Council was sitting. With this worldwide day of prayer to God, the Holy Father asked God to continue to send workers for his Church (cf. Mt 9:38). The theme chosen for this year is: “Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith.”

In the entrance antiphon of this day’s Holy Mass we pray: “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord; by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia.”

Catholic Meditation - Third Sunday of Easter – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

Today, the Universal Church celebrates Sunday, April 14, 2013, as the third Sunday of Easter – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Cry out with joy to God, all the earth; O sing to the glory of his name. O render him glorious praise, alleluia.”

In the first reading, we see how the early exciting years of the Church’s expansion started meeting setbacks. Like Jesus, the apostles are attacked by the leaders of the Jews and threatened with death. The Sanhedrin warn them not to preach in the name of Jesus but Peter, as leader of the apostles, replies that obedience to God comes before obedience to man. In the Second Reading from the Apocalypse, Saint John highly praises the risen Lord who, as the Lamb slain in sacrifice, is the sole mediator between God’s throne and all angels and the whole people of God, who pay him unending honour. In the Gospel of John, Christ continues to appear to his disciples after his resurrection to strengthen their faith and prepare them for his mission to the four corners of the earth. By the Sea of Tiberias, he guides them to bring in the catch of fish – symbolizing the Church gathering into her unity men and women of all ages and races – and then confirms Peter’s position as the head of the apostles. Peter, who denied his Master three times during his passion, is given the opportunity to reaffirm his love for his Master three times before being given the commission to guard the whole flock in Christ’s name.

Catholic Meditation - Second Sunday of Easter – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, April 7, 2013, as the Second Sunday of Easter – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Rejoice to the full in the glory that is yours, and give thanks to God who called you into his heavenly kingdom, alleluia.”

In the first reading, Saint Luke shows how the risen Christ has given life to the young community of Jerusalem. The Apostles perform many miracles among the people because the power of the Lord is with them. As the community begins to grow, it also has to fight against evil and heal a wounded world. In the second reading, from the Apocalypse, Saint John tells us that the risen and living Christ is the conqueror of death. In a vision, Christ commands him to write down the Revelation on behalf of the persecuted Church. In Saint John’s Gospel, we see Jesus breathing the Spirit onto his disciples and giving them strength and courage for their new divine mission, that of taking his word to the ends of the earth. The doubting Thomas brings the Gospel to its most explicit profession of faith in the Risen Lord when he says: “My Lord and my God.” That is what Jesus is for successive generations of Christians to our own day.  

Catholic Meditation - Easter Sunday – Year C

 By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church celebrates Sunday, March 31, 2013, as Easter Sunday in the Church’s year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “I have risen: I am with you once more; you placed your hand on me to keep me safe. How great is the depth of your wisdom, alleluia!”  “This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad, Alleluia!” This refrain from the Responsorial Psalm of this day’s Holy Mass gives us the true spirit of Easter. It is a spirit of hope and abiding joy, as the Church continues to give witness to the central fact of the early preaching of the Apostles: “Jesus is risen. He is the Lord.” The glorious resurrection of our Lord is the central reality of our Catholic faith. It is Christ’s victory over sin and death. Without this victory over death, says Saint Paul, all our preaching would be in vain (1 Cor 15: 14-17). It is because of Christ’s resurrection that our own future resurrection is secured. We must therefore lift up our minds and our hearts to the Lord who, as the Psalmist exclaims, is always good and expresses a love for us that has no end (Ps.117).

I Salute the Memory of Chinua Achebe

By Martin Jumbam

I had the singular privilege and honour of meeting Chinua Achebe on two occasions: the first was at the African Literature Association Conference in Gainesville, Florida in the spring of 1980. On the opening day of the Conference, what had started as a rumour became reality as Achebe appeared and took a seat of honour on the podium alongside Afro-American writer James Baldwin. I recall that as Baldwin was greeting what he called 'my brother whom I haven't met in 400 years' a hate-filled voice suddenly broke through the communication system, asking James Baldwin to take his niggers out of town. Boy, was that ever scary!

Catholic Meditation - Palm Sunday – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, March 24, 2013 as Palm Sunday. It is also known as Passion Sunday because the theme of Jesus’ suffering and death begins with the reading of the passion. In the entrance antiphon we pray: Six days before the solemn Passover the Lord came to Jerusalem, and children waving palm branches ran out to welcome him. They loudly praised the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are you who have come to us so rich in love and mercy. Amen.

Catholic Meditation: Fifth Sunday of Lent – Year C

Martin Jumbam

Mother Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, March 17, 2013 as the fifth and last Sunday of Lent – Year C. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Give me justice, O God, and defend my cause against the wicked; rescue me from deceitful and unjust men. You, O God, are my refuge. Amen.”

Our first reading comes from Second Isaiah, which is generally called the “Book of the Consolation of Israel”. It looks forward to the promises of God’s redemption and restoration of Israel through a new exodus. The Jews are still held captive in Babylon but their deliverance is announced thanks to the power of the Lord, who rules the world and determines the course of human history. He delivered his people from Egypt and is now about to re-enact those wonders in a new exodus, which would be an even greater pledge of God’s love for his people. God would gather them anew to make them forever his people of choice as he leads them back to Zion from Babylon.

Catholic Meditation - Fourth Sunday of Lent – Year C

 By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church celebrates Sunday, March 10, 2013, as the fourth Sunday of Lent – Year C. In the Entrance Antiphon we pray: “Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts. Amen.”

This Sunday is traditionally called Laetare Sunday because it interrupts the general gloom associated with Lent to speak to us of joy, as we hear in the words of the Entrance Antiphon above. As we approach the end of the Lenten season, we meditate on the joy of the cross. We share the cheerfulness of Saint Paul when he exclaims: “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4).

Catholic Meditation - Third Sunday of Lent – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

 Mother Church invites us to celebrate March 3, 2013 as the third Sunday of Lent in the Church’s year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues my feet from the snare. Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor. Amen.”

In the first reading, from the book of Exodus, we read the story of Moses and the burning bush, one of the best-known stories of the Old Testament. It tells of the call of Moses and the revelation of God’s name. Moses, who has been driven out of Egypt for defending the cause of his own people against the Egyptians, is reduced from the position of royal prince to that of a wandering nomad. But God has other plans for him. He sends him back to Egypt to rescue his people in his name. God reveals himself to him as “Yahweh”, the One who stands by his people and extends his helping hand to them.

Catholic Meditation - Second Sunday of Lent – Year C

 By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, February 24, 2013, as the Second Sunday of Lent – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Remember your mercies, Lord, your tenderness from ages past. Do not let our enemies triumph over us; O God, deliver Israel from all her distress. Amen.”

The story of Abraham, in the First Reading, reminds us that through our baptism we are called to trust God completely. God gives many opportunities to whoever opens his or her heart to the word of God and takes it seriously by spreading it around. Abraham believes in God’s word and becomes the perfect example of what faith should be. He prefers God’s word to human security and is therefore rewarded as “Our father in faith.”

Catholic Meditation - First Sunday of Lent – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, February 17, 2013, as the First Sunday of Lent in the Church’s Year C. As we are entering enter the Lenten season, it is appropriate to ask the question: What is Lent? The word ‘lent’ does not have any religious or Christian meaning, being an old Anglo-Saxon word for spring time, lencten. It describes the gradual lengthening of daylight after the winter solstice. So it is a word that is associated in Europe with the weather, marking the transition from winter to spring. It’s not clear how it became associated with Christianity, but it is the period coming about a month and a half after Christmas during which the whole Church goes on retreat for six weeks, that is, for 40 days, for an annual spiritual renewal. It prepares us to celebrate Christianity’s most fundamental belief, i. e. that Christ died, rose from the dead and is alive. In the absence of this belief, there is no Christianity.

Catholic Meditation - Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C.

By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church invites us to celebrate Sunday, February 10, 2013, as the fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C. The theme of this day’s Eucharist is how God  calls everyone of us to serve him. In the first reading, Isaiah receives his call to be a prophet, while the first Apostles of Christ receive theirs in the Gospel. Last Sunday, we heard how Jeremiah received his call to be a prophet. This Sunday we listen to the call of the prophet Isaiah. God reveals himself to Isaiah who, after seeing the glory and holiness of God, realizes his own unworthiness. Overwhelmed by the sight and goodness of God, Isaiah volunteers to fulfill the mission God has entrusted to him. He tells the Lord: “Here I am, send me!”

Catholic Meditation - The Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

Mother Church celebrates Sunday, February 3, 2013 as the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Liturgical Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Save us, Lord our God, and gather us together from the nations, that we may proclaim your holy name and glory in your praise. Amen.”

The first reading from the prophecy of Jeremiah (1:4-5. 17-19) talks about the call of the prophet Jeremiah. In each important prophetic book of the Old Testament, an account is always given of the call of the prophet. Here Jeremiah is chosen from his mother’s womb and given his mission. He is to singlehandedly oppose the rulers of Judah, who have set themselves on a course of national and religious ruin. Very much against his will, Jeremiah prophecies the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, which was for the Jewish people the inviolable seat of God’s presence among them. He was in this sense the forerunner of Christ, who also warned his people of the imminent destruction of the temple, a warning that came true less than a century after his death.

Catholic Meditation - Third Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, January 27, 2013, as the third Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Truth and beauty surround him, he lives in holiness and glory. Amen.”

The authority of the word of God is very much at the center of our readings this day. In the first reading (Nehemiah 8: 2-6. 8-10), the priest Ezra, a scribe well versed in the law of Moses, travels from exile in Babylon to teach God’s law to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who have been very discouraged because of the hardships they encounter after their return from exile. Their initial enthusiasm has been dampened by the harsh realities they meet on the ground and Ezra assembles them and reads to them the law of the Lord, reassuring them that God is not indifferent to their hardships. With that, the people joyfully renew their covenant with God, who will not punish them on account of their numerous transgressions. 

Catholic Meditation - Second Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C

By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates January 13, 2013 as the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C.  The sacrament of marriage is very much at the center of this day’s Eucharist. In the first reading from the prophecy of Isaiah (62: 1-5), the prophet Isaiah tells us that the Messiah will restore the relationship between God and his people that has all the love of a perfect marriage. God will make his people holy and will rejoice in them as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride. In the second reading from Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (12: 4-11), Saint Paul speaks to his converts of Corinth about the variety of gifts with which God has endowed them. These various gifts are to be used for the common good of all, and for building the Christian community, which is the Church of which Christ is the head. In the Gospel from Saint John (2: 1-11), the evangelist tells us about the first miracle Christ performs after his baptism: he changes water into wine, at the request of his mother, Mary, to save a young couple from embarrassment. With his presence at the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus sanctifies the sacrament of marriage as a union of one man and one woman, which is a sign of his own relationship with the Church.  

In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace to receive Jesus into our own homes and into our hearts. May he fill them with love so we can readily receive all who come to us this day, especially the stranger and the needy.

 

The Baptism of our Lord

By Martin Jumbam

The feast of the Baptism of our Lord concludes the Christmas cycle and is at the same time the first of the Ordinary Sundays of the year. It begins a series of Sundays that speak of the early ministry of Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel from Saint Luke, Jesus, who had no sins, still received baptism as a way God consecrates him for his mission on earth.  God then shows his pleasure with his Son by sending down the Holy Spirit on him in the form of a dove.  It is the same Holy Spirit that will accompany Jesus throughout his earthly ministry and strengthen his apostles at Pentecost.  In the first reading, from the prophecy of Isaiah, the servant of Yahweh is declared the chosen one on whom God’s pleasure rests. Fortified by God’s Spirit, the servant will bring salvation to the nations and, like the Messiah, son of David, the servant will bring true peace and justice to all men and women of good will. In the second reading, from Acts of the Apostles, Saint Peter describes Jesus’ baptism as God anointing Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Throughout Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke highlights the capital role the Holy Spirit plays in directing Christ’s mission right from the beginning of his public ministry. Let us pray in the course of this Eucharist for the grace to renew our own baptismal vows so we can follow Christ more closely as he begins his public ministry on earth. Let us now listen to the first reading.

Catholic Meditation : The Epiphany

By Martin Jumbam

The feast of the Epiphany commemorates the call of the nations to salvation. It is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Saviour of the world. It celebrates the first two occasions on which Jesus’ divinity is manifested to the world: the visit of the three kings from the East, the Magi, and Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts, celebrated since the end of the second century, before the Christmas holiday was established.

In the entrance antiphon of this day’s Mass we pray: “The Lord and ruler is coming; kingship is his, and government and power. Amen.”  Today’s readings express the grandeur of this feast. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah shouts: “Arise, Jerusalem, shine out, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you.” In the second reading, Saint Paul praises the majesty of God’s plan, which has revealed that pagans too now share in the same inheritance as Jews. In the Gospel, Matthew tells us the well-known story of the Magi, the three Wise men, who came from the East, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the new born king, Christ the Lord. 

Catholic Meditation: January 1, Feast of Mary, Mother of God.

By Martin Jumbam

Today is January 1, the first day of the year. Since 1967, the Holy See has designated January 1 as the “World Day of Peace.” On this 46^th edition, the Universal Church shares man’s deep yearning for peace, which seems more elusive now than ever before.  The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has asked that we celebrate this day under the theme “Blessed are the peacemakers.” It is therefore appropriate that this day be dedicated to the woman of peace, Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

This feast, closely connected to the feast of Christmas, is the most important and oldest of the major feasts of Mary. It is based on the source of her privileges: that is, her motherhood. Jesus Christ, God’s Son “born of woman” (Gal 4:4) came to deliver us from sin and make us children of God. Jesus is also the Son of Mary who, as the Fathers of Vatican II Council say is “truly the Mother of God and of the Redeemer … not merely passively engaged by God, but freely cooperating in the work of our salvation through faith and obedience.” The Holy Spirit prompts Elizabeth to acclaim Mary as the “mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:43).

The Entrance Antiphon of this day’s Mass says of Mary: “Hail, holy Mother! The child to whom you gave birth is the King of heaven and earth for ever. Amen.”  In the first reading from the Book of Numbers, we hear the Lord blessing the Israelites. This blessing, in the form of a prayer, was frequently used by priests when they blessed the people. In the second reading, from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, we hear the Apostle of the Gentiles affirming Mary as the Mother of God. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of woman.”  In the Gospel of Saint Luke, we share the words of the shepherds as they say to one another: “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."

 

Catholic Meditation - First Sunday after Christmas – Feast of the Holy Family

By Martin Jumbam

Today, December 30, 2012, is the first Sunday after Christmas and the Universal Church celebrates it as the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. Amen.”

We are celebrating not only the feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the family of Jesus. Mary and Joseph, but also the feast of each Christian family, our family, and all that it means to us. The readings of this day’s Mass from the Old Testament as well as from the New Testament all focus on the family. In the first reading, from First Samuel, the birth of Samuel is shown as a miraculous event, emphasizing divine intervention and the child’s importance. A childless woman, humiliated by her husband’s other fertile wife, seeks a way out of her anguish by asking God, her only hope, to give her a son, which he does. In the Second Reading from First John, we see the Apostle contemplating the marvelous gift of being God’s children. We have been created to obtain the dignity of children of God, through the grace that raises us up to a supernatural level. In the Gospel, Saint Luke, the only evangelist who reports the event of the Child Jesus being lost and then found in the temple, also reports how Jesus grew up in physical stature and in wisdom, obeying his parents as all good children should. .

In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for our families which, in many parts of our country today are showing signs of weakening as harmony and unity are sometimes absent from our homes. Many of our homes no longer give room for God who alone can strengthen the love members of the family have for one another.

Catholic Meditation: Christmas Day: Liturgical Year C

By Martin Jumbam

Today, the Universal Church and humanity as a whole celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the Entrance Antiphon we pray: “A child is born for us, a son given to us; dominion is laid on his shoulders, and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor. Amen.”  

On this day, God has acted on his promise of old and given us a Saviour. In the first reading, from Isaiah 52: 7-10, the prophet Isaiah sings a hymn of praise to God who has brought salvation to the city of Jerusalem. The messenger is seen running along the mountain ridges to the Holy City with the news of the return of the exiles. The watchman takes it up and proclaims it to the ruined city of Jerusalem.  In the Second Reading, from Hebrews 1: 1-6, the sacred writer recalls how throughout the Old Testament, God revealed his plan of redemption to the forerunners and ancestors of the Christian faith: the prophets. But now, God has revealed and achieved all he promised through his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the Gospel, from the Prologue of Saint John 1: 1-18, the traditional Gospel of Christmas Day, the evangelist John tells us that the Word shares the Father’s divine being and his creative activity. Through him comes the communication and revelation of true and eternal life.   

Disability and press coverage in Cameroon: a personal perspective.

Martin Jumbam

 The theme for this year’s International Day of Persons living with Disabilities (December 3, 2012) was “Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all.” To mark this event, the Bamenda Coordinating Centre for Studies in Disability and Rehabilitation (BCSDR) and the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation (ICDR) of the University of Toronto, Canada, organized a conference in Bamenda, on Saturday, December 8, 2012, titled the “Bamenda Conference on Disability and Rehabilitation”. I was given the opportunity to address participants to that conference and I spoke on how I see the press in Cameroon covering persons living with disabilities among us.

"The African economy of tomorrow will be driven by information and communication technology," African employers told.

Martin Jumbam

The African employer, who fails to become more information-technology savvy tomorrow than he or she is today, will certainly miss the train of change that is cruising through Africa at such dizzying speed. That was, in essence, the clearest message that participants took with them from the recent symposium on the place of the African employer in the Africa of tomorrow, that held at the GICAM head office in Douala from September 26 – 28, 2012. GICAM serves as a shelter for many of Cameroon’s employers’ organizations that, to a considerable extent, serve as the spine of the Cameroonian economy.

The Chaplaincy of the Lay Apostolate kicks off formation sessions

By Martin Jumbam

The Chaplaincy of the Lay Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Douala has begun a series of formation sessions for leaders of ecclesial movements, groups and associations operating in the Archdiocese. Some months ago, the Archbishop of Douala, His Grace Samuel Kleda, commissioned his Vicar General, Monsignor Fidelis Mabegle, to make an inventory of all movements, groups and associations, in parishes throughout the Archdiocese, to determine which could truly be considered ecclesial, and which not. The Archbishop was clearly alarmed by the proliferation of such movements, groups and associations in the Archdiocese, some not even being able to clearly identify their spirituality or charism.

How has Reunification been felt in the Catholic Church that is in Cameroon?

By Martin Jumbam

When we talk of the Reunification of Cameroon, the mind almost always goes to the political machinations that led two political entities, separated by 40 years of historical forces beyond their control, to come together in one room in Fumban in what has come to be known as the “Fumban Conference” (July 17 – 21, 1961).

There, they cautiously observed each other, then timidly shook hands across the table, before weakly embracing each other and agreeing to form a Federal Republic of Cameroon. Finally, in 1972, through what some joyously celebrate as a “Peaceful Revolution” while others, a vocal minority, decry as pure re-colonisation and/or enslavement, the federal system, the basis of reunification, was scrapped from the history books.

The Diocese of Kumbo gears up for centenary celebrations

By Martin Jumbam

On December 11, 2011, Monsignor George Nkuo, Bishop of the Diocese of Kumbo, celebrated a Pontifical High Mass at the Sacred Heart Parish of Shisong to kick off a year of celebration of the centenary of the evangelization of the Diocese of Kumbo.

Saint Theresa Cathedral, Kumbo Diocese

A hundred years ago, on December 12, 1912, the first Pallotine priests celebrated Holy Mass at the Mbivtinmbang compound in Kumbo, the first such Mass anywhere on Nso land. With that Mass, they planted the seed of the Catholic faith on rich soil that has since, like the proverbial mustard seed, grown and blossomed into a huge tree that has borne many fruits in terms of the number of Christians and of vocations.

 

The Open Quarrel I Never Had With BB

By Martin Jumbam

  On the night of March 8, 2007, English-speaking Cameroon lost one of its most articulate but eccentric, erratic and choleric writers, Bate Besong, more commonly known as BB. He died with three friends of his in a car accident along the Douala-Yaoundé highway. Five years later, friends and foes alike continue to celebrate the life of a man of letters, whom some acclaim as our own ‘Soyinka’. Here is what I remember about him.

Usually, when my phone rings and I see my friend Francis Wache’s name and number flashing on and off, I always answer with “Hi, Francis, what’s up?” and expect the usual answer of “Oh, not much, I just wanted to tell you about ….”, and the conversation would usually take a lighthearted tone as we go from one topic to another. It was not the same thing on that morning of March 8, 2007. His response was simply, “have you heard about BB?” His emotion-drenched voice left me in no doubt that something tragic had happened; and that was indeed the case.

Be much more than just a translator and/or interpreter

By Martin Jumbam 

On Saturday, January 14, 2012, the Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters of Cameroon (APTIC) held its General Assembly in the conference room of Azur Hotel in Yaounde, Cameroon. I was invited to give a word of advice to the younger members of the Association. This is what I told them.

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Bamenda defends the weak and the marginalized.

Interview conducted by Martin Jumbam

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Bamenda has been striving to bring peace, justice and reconciliation to crisis-stricken areas of the Northwest Region of Cameroon where inter-village and inter-tribal conflicts are recurrent.  It has also scored successes at the level of individuals by rescuing victims of human trafficking from their ordeal and successfully bringing charges against a notorious human trafficker and landing her in jail. Women and children, the principal victims of human traffickers, hold center stage in the Commission’s activities. Laura Anyola Tufon, who heads the Bamenda Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission, and is also a member of Cameroon’s National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, tells us more about the activities of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Bamenda.

 

Violenter une femme est un acte de lâcheté

Interview de Martin Jumbam à Ebolowa

La Fondation allemande, Friedrich Erbert Stiftung a organisé une rencontre des journalistes et de la  société civile  à  Ebolowa. Il s’agissait  d’analyser la situation de la presse au Cameroun. C’était la deuxième rencontre du genre organisée au Cameroun. La première ayant eu lieu à Bamenda en 2008. En marge des discussions officielles, L’Effort camerounais a rencontré une dame dynamique, venant de l’Extrême Nord, de Maroua  plus précisément. Elle était la  représentante d’une association dénommée “Association pour la lutte contre la violence faite aux femmes”. Mme Aissa Doumara, puisqu’il s’agit d’elle, n’a pas mâché ses mots, qualifiant les  violences contre les femmes comme étant des  actes odieux et lâches. Tout en admettant que la violence contre les femmes n’est pas l’exclusivité d’une seule région de notre triangle national, elle a focalisé son attention sur la région septentrionale de notre pays dont elle est originaire.

 

 

Professor Daniel Noni Lantum – I salute you! (Final Part).

By Martin Jumbam

In this second and last part of my tribute to Professor Daniel Noni Lantum, I recall how instrumental he was to me during my early years abroad, urging me to have a clear sense of purpose and to focus my attention on my work and not on my financial situation, that was far from glamorous. Upon my return home over a decade later, he was still there to welcome me and my family and gave us a soft landing on territory that was beginning to feel the grueling impact of the world recession. Let’s pick up the narrative from 1976.

Professor Daniel Noni Lantum, I thank you! (Part One).

By Martin Jumbam

It surprises me that I always seem to find words of gratitude for people only when they are no longer with us; when they have, as we Catholics say, gone ahead of us marked with the sign of faith. It is only then that my heart, mind, and lungs pour out of my trembling lips words soaked in tears and wrapped in long moments of silence, interspersed with sighs and much headshaking. Today, however, I have decided to sing the praises of a man who is still very much alive, and to whom I owe a well-nourished debt of gratitude.

 

Professor Victor Anomah Ngu – In memoriam.

By Martin Jumbam

Cameroon recently lost an academic giant – Professor Victor Anomah Ngu. As I join many Cameroonians in and outside our country to mourn the passing into eternity of this intellectual colossus, I feel a tinge of sadness that he did not deem it necessary to write his life story for posterity. 

 

“Master the digital media to spread the Gospel,” the Holy Father challenges priests.

Over forty years ago, in May 1967, the Servant of God, Pope Paul VI, instituted the first World Communications Day as a way of promoting the role of the media in the Catholic Church. Paul VI is on record as saying that the Church would feel guilty before the Lord if she did not utilize the powerful social means of communication to spread the Gospel. His successors, John Paul II, and now Benedict XVI, who inherited a Church that is facing an increasingly more electronically-complex and complicated world, have continued the laudable tradition of sending each year, in the month of May, a message, challenging Catholic media men and women to take advantage of the ever rapid means of social communications at their disposal to spread Christ’s message of hope to an increasingly secular world.

Defend the Catholic faith, but don’t attack others

By Martin Jumbam 

Attacks against the Catholic Church that is in Cameroon from other Christian denominations in this country, especially those of the Pentecostal persuasion, are nothing new.  New, however, is the increasing tendency certain Catholic circles now have to take the battle of abuses and threats to the doorsteps of their attackers.  But is that the right thing to do? The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI says No! Defend your faith, he tells us, but don’t attack others!