God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

01/25/2010 • 4:25 pm Comments Off on 25.01.2010 Golf Day

25.01.2010 Golf Day

Today is a Golf Day in lieu of HOPE Cape Town, tomorrow the horse auction at the Milnerton Town Hall. It is amazing to see what people can do to support a good cause. Brian Sharkey and the Men’s Society of the Milnerton/Brooklyn Catholic Church are indeed busy to support HOPE Cape Town and they are doing in now since years. It is always good to be with them in the beginning of a new year and to experience the goodness of people. HOPE Cape Town is very grateful for these local supporters – and that is a focal point of fundraising also for this year: to expand the circle of sponsors and friends of HOPE Cape Town in South Africa. People living here should own their country and they should work hard to make their very own country a better place. Judging from experience it is not often the case. Very often it is easy to support those who are living far away- but to forget the nightmares in front of the own door. I guess it is an international phenomenon. The Men’s Society shows that it is good and worthwhile to look not too far for a moment but to see the needs around the corner of the parish boundaries. I am grateful to know all these people. Well done and all success for today and tomorrow.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , ,

01/24/2010 • 12:36 am 1

24.01.2010 Life

Life is precious – and I just finished watching the movie “Death Man Walking” – highlighting again how important and valued life is. I always think that when Christianity and our faith has one important value, then it is the uphold of the sanctity of life.  And sanctity of life means a lot:
We should make sure that babies are indeed welcome, when perceived. The value of life rests in itself – not the work, not the deeds, not the strength nor anything else really can take away this value. And we are not allowed to take lives – be it by a person or by a state.
Giving life priority is the motor for all advocacy for life – also treatment for illness belongs under that category. Being healthy is important, but we Christians maintain that life is precious even if handicapped. Because everybody is a son or a daughter of God and so my brother or my sister, loved unconditionally.

But the importance of life does not only count for human being – the way we treat animals, pets, the nature is also part of cherishing life. For me, all and everything created on earth has a soul because it is part of God’s good creation. The whole creation is steeped with God’s good spirit. The way we use some of the things – that is the concerning part I guess.

Dignity of life means also respect – the way we deal with other people is for me also part of life advocacy. If one meets a person who cherishes life, one directly feels the respect he shows towards him- or herself, but also others around him. Advocacy for life and respect go hand in hand – therefore is my conclusion that people, who militant try to protect life as we see often in the right corner of churches and faith-based organisations, have a deficit in the appreciation of life in general. Far fetched? Well, that’s only my opinion.

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , ,

01/22/2010 • 10:49 pm Comments Off on 22.01.2010 Friday eve…

22.01.2010 Friday eve…

Discussion with a lecturer from Munich about a photo exhibition during the World Cup 2010 featuring the lives of people here in South Africa. We discuss the possibility to feature in this exhibition also a HOPE community health worker or the HOPE doctor. An interesting way of having a look on the life of a person from HOPE Cape Town: through a camera which keeps moments in a life’s time to show the reality of daily routine, hardship and joy. I think it is a good idea and for HOPE Cape Town also interesting to get a photographic feed back  on the work we are doing through our front people: the HOPE community health workers.

Luncheon with a friend – always good just to let go and talk and consider and plan for going together to Germany and Italy in May – unfortunately business related. But still: it is interesting to see after so many years, that friendship can create synergies assisting the work within the Archdiocese of Cape Town. A very good feeling about it – and an outstanding service at the so-called family restaurant.

Office work, phone calls, preparations – a decent dinner with nice people – this day brought a good mix of everything and looking back at the week, which started in Bangkok and will end in Newlands – a diversity of experience within a week which makes one grateful. I hope for more such good weeks to come in the next time…

Filed under: Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

01/03/2010 • 7:23 pm Comments Off on POZ.com: How Stigma Kills – by Regan Hofmann

POZ.com: How Stigma Kills – by Regan Hofmann

An interesting article about stigma:

POZ – POZ Magazine – POZ.com – December #160 : How Stigma Kills – by Regan Hofmann.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Society and living environment, , , ,

12/21/2009 • 10:57 pm Comments Off on 21.12.2009 Preparation time…

21.12.2009 Preparation time…

Time to prepare for the Christmas day service today – it is always not easy to reflect on what Christmas may mean to the people attending the service on Christmas Day.  Every year is different – how it felt and how consequently Christmas is experienced. Like every year for the last 23 years I try to find a tone, that will bring the message of Christmas closer to the attending people. I hope that they are encouraged to let the love and the peace and the intimacy of this special birthday be part of their life; not only on the Christmas Day itself, but being carried over to the next days and month to come.
Then this is indeed the message of Christmas: that we are called to be in the likeness of God – everybody a little Jesus, when born – with all the possibilities and the vocation, to tell the story of God’s unconditional love within the respective life. As God has shared life with us, so we are called to share our life with him/her. That is obviously not that easy – daily life tells us most times another story – where love, sharing, peace, tolerance seems not to be a top priority because abused so many times.
And interesting enough is Christmas in many families also the time for bitter fights at the end of the day – because the pressure, to suddenly turn around the normal way of dealing with each other, is getting to big.  Christmas is for us Christian the culmination of our yearning for harmony in life – and we should train it during the year that it works also on those days.. :-).

Being the likeness of God – that is also a headline when it comes to dealing with our brothers and sisters who are carrying the HI virus with them.  They remain this picture of God – nothing is taken away from them through this virus. Therefore there should be no stigmatization or criminalization or discrimination within any Christian community. I guess, there is still much to do…  In this matter, Christmas acts as a reminder how much is still to do to free our society from the devil of stigmatization and all what comes with it.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , ,

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