Faith, Forgiveness, Freedom

“… The more noble principles you have, the more you are obliged to be good and please God and people; and if you are vile, you will be the greatest enemy of cavalry, and most contrary to its principles and its honor. ”

The Book of the Order of Cavalry (c. 1274-1276), RAMON LLULL

Luís Cruz, KM

Mozambique, May 31th, 2020.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I hope to find all my dear brothers and sisters in good health and I pray that St. John bless us all.

As knight of Malta is my responsibility tho brought some food and comfort to those who needed in this dificcult period of life, due to the well-known Covid 19, which plagues the world.

Mozambique close the borders in April and are in state of emergency, that will remain at least until July. A large part of economic activities were closed and government applied preventive measures, facing the inability of health services if an excessive flow of patients reach the hospitals, as happened in all the countries of which Mozambique is no exception. Aggravating the situation he have an insuficient and bad quality national health services.

These preventive and contingency measures led to the failure of some SMEs and consequently layoffs, part of the people who live with daily sales, to survive and to family subsistence, found themselves deprived of being able in street markets, consequently we also watch several families going bankrupt.

This scenario has led the Order of John of Jerusalem to set in motion the project “Feed the Children” supporting in any way we can, two institutions; Casa da Alegria (House of Joy Orphanage) from the Missionaries of Charity and Casa Mateus 25 (Mateus 25 House), managed by the apostolic nunciature.

But what does the article theme Faith, Forgiveness and Freedom have to do with this brief exercise? After this brief introduction, I would like to talk about two people, who are truly exemples of these so important concepts to us knights. Brother Licínio from Casa Mateus 25 and Sister Joselinda, from the Orphanage, both responsible for managing these spaces, in a true spirit of mission.

Superior Mother Joselinda (at right), from Missionaries of Charity.

About Faith, Forgiveness and Freedom;

These three concepts are hardly explained in words, we are limiting, by itself, something that must be experienced daily, as each of us succeeds and intends to do so.

These persons from two diferent parts of the world, Portugal and India, dedicate the most precious thing they have, their time and their Being to the well-care of other brothers, who are momentarily in need. Yes momentarily! Because life is just a moment that has been offered to us to learn. The lessons that are placed on the road of Life make us evolve in the Plan of God.

Two people who have given up their own comfort and personal desires, which we all have, to bring food, education and care of those in need.

They did not settle in their pools, or mansions waiting for Covid to stop, to start asking again, in the name of God, their believers donations. The lives of some pastors are of high intellectuality, wisdom, they dress so well, they have plenty of water and food, they are chosen by God, but then they are afraid of Covid and from there mouths come barbarities in the name of God! Because they know some tricks, because they know some designs of Nature and Men, they use them in a theatrical performance and the adept lives this gift intensely, returning on “Monday” to his selfish life as usual.

The true souls shepherd are these two anonymous exemples of humanity that dont have afraid to work and put their hands in groundzero, they do what they can for the neediest brothers. The true shepherd goes hand in hand, forgiving and treating the wounds of the children of God, he will release the soul scars that life problems caused in the heart of the poorest, with only his Love and presente exemple, just like our beloved Saint John Almsgiver. Their weapons are strong.

Freedom is a dissertation for another time, but everyone knows that we are not free, men created too many laws, borders, dogmas, burocracy, systems et cetera, that imprison and manipulate, make us sell our own souls to achieve our ambitious goals and those who have achieved their personal and professional objectives, only to realize later that they were shackles without a letter of manumission.

We are not pastors, we are knights and it is up to us to honor the Creator with Mercy, Justice and Truth, with Love. Order of St. John of Jerusalem rules by human values, ​​transversal to philosophical and religious doctrines, without barriers or dogmatic divisions. If you follow these principles you will see that barriers and fears fall, becoming in a new way of seeing the world. Dont have nothing to do with Christianism, have to do with humanity that is loosing human values.

I couldn't help to put in these lines the impact that Sister Joselinda and Brother Licínio had on me, for these two months. During these time that we delivered donations in these institutions, first two to three times a week, but unfortunately and given the donations progressive reduction, we only managed to go now once a week, but we watch the outstanding work of these two souls…. and reach the conclusion that we must feed our whole being, without gluttony, without fatten our personal ambitions and desires, often for reasons that are illusory to the very reality of life. Africa is for me the last bastion of Liberty, every day I learn a different way of seeing and living life, which a westerner traditionally has.

Organizing these donations, taking them to those in need was a satisfaction, a well-being for me and my wife, Natalia Mey Lin. Maybe I needed that myself. No vanities, no dramas or ilussions of any importance or superiority, without thinking; poor homeless people or poor sick orphans who live in the worst dump in the capital Maputo and many with AIDS, maybe i am the infortunate one with my ignorant certainties… of vanity, of academic degrees, professional successes or whatever, poor me for not being able to bring dreams to those who no longer have them. "Dream commands life" as the portugueses poet António Gedeão says in Pedra Filosofal, the dream should be na academic discipline, because it is one of the most beautiful tools that Nature offered us and as you know, there is nothing in the human being that does not come from Her, not even a thought… and return to Her.

I also want to highlight the work of Social Justice by Brother Licínio, as he has raised several projects in Mozambique. He teach people to subsist, teaching them carpentry and agriculture, important professions and arts that are being forgotten in western life and this is more important than charity. Instead of giving then fish, he teachs how to fish.

It is time to take the Geocentric idea of ​​Creation, or the HumanCentric idea from religion, when we start to get free of ourselves and the dome we live in, we will see reality, the truth that liberates us. Man is just one of the children of Life, nothing belongs to us but our decisions.

Finishingm, I would like to give a special thanks to Ambassador Júlio Quaresma, who inspires me, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Jovan Kovacic and to Lady Anna Popper for their support.

Special thanks to his excellence Prime Minister George Popper and, of course, his eminence Príncipe José, that is always near us.

Kind and Respectful regards to all the knighst brothers and sisters ladies in St. John, may God bless our beloved Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

Yours in S. John,

Sir Luís Cruz, KM, Mozambique