MY CFL EXPERIENCE

The CFL Conference was a lifetime event for me. It was spiritually moving and religiously Catholic. It was also socially uniting and culturally enriching. I enjoyed every bit of every event. The Holy Spirit was present 

The Spirit of CFL

I consider the very essence of Catholics for Family and Life as the spirit behind the reality of CFL itself. The Movement is full of well-meaning Catholics. People who are truly rooted in the Catholic doctrine, ethos and practice. The CFL Members portrayed that spirit of universality, that is, being Catholic at heart. The Members embraced everybody with love and respect regardless of their skin color, culture, and language. That is what it means to be “Catholic”. 

It seems to me that in CFL people have the conviction to live life as God wants. All this shows that in CFL people are aware that life is a gratuitous gift from God; and it is better when lived with others. If something is short of this understanding, the CFL Members are ready always to ask for God’s forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. No wonder that as priests, we experienced long queues of people wanting to access the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the Conference. A true definition of wanting to live life lived well with God and others. 

The Accommodation and Culture

The Accommodation arrangements were ay napakahusay. Fr Santos and myself were very happy.  These again showed me that they value Catholicism, family and life. 

1. They treated us priests as another Christ in their home. They valued the time we prayed together and always wanting to hear from us. They respected us and always wanted us to have the best experience. They were generous with their resources and time. 

2. They value family: They managed to let us meet all their children and grandchildren. They live with their workers as family members. And we lived together with them as an extended large family. This was so phenomenal! 

3. They love and cherish their life in thanksgiving to God through Mary our Mother. They showed us that life is meant to be lived happily through sharing of life experiences.

Households Interaction 

There were moments whereby two or three or more households would come together to celebrate life. These were also moments of joy and feeling of being loved. We shared food, drinks and talents with genuineness of life. In such gatherings, we received gifts from almost everybody. This was so fascinating because I was meeting everybody for the first time. This remains a special teaching and exact demonstration of CFL spirit and essence. 

The Conference

The Conference was a climax of CFL experience. In that great event, all the sentiments shared above were readily seen. Very important to this event were two things: 

The Pentecost Experience 

We showed love by uniting in celebrating the Eucharist at Mass, praying the Holy Rosary, Adoration and Reconciliation. In all these activities, we accommodated every person the way they were and accepting them as such just as God takes us all.  All the Presentations made, all reflections given, and all the songs played at various intervals helped us to remain in that presence of the Holy Spirit and remain focused on Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

My Brother’s Keeper Experience 

The gathering of all the CFL Members present during the Conference made me see that I belong to the wider global family not only to Malawian or African family only. And that in that global family the people contributed money for me to be present at the Conference. This showed me brotherly love and care. These people cared that I be present. They were my “keepers” in the genuine sense. 

Therefore, I was reminded through that experience that every person on earth is my brother and my sister. Therefore, I must be mindful of their situation even when they are not present with me. I must be my brother’s or sister’s keeper. This I can do through offering various intentions in my Masses and private prayers. 

CFL is indeed what it is when Members meet and express its true spirit. I am glad I participated. It is my belief and sincere hope that we shall fan the fire so that the spirit remains alive and active. I sincerely and honestly thank the people who contributed generously for me to be part of that great Conference. Special appreciation should also be extended to all the people who organized everything and those that put in their resources and time for us to enjoy the experience as we did. 

I wish to come again!