One of the homilies that I literally fell in love with was delivered by my parish priest on the occasion of the solemnity of Visitation, 31st May 2007.
It commenced with a short story on the events that punctuate the welcoming ceremony of a visitor and preferably one from the city. He gave a typical traditional home setup and how the daily programme suffers alteration at the comfort of the visitor. “The coming of the visitor changes a lot of things in the village…” goes the story. He further enumerated a litany of advantages that glues such a visit at home not mentioning the disadvantages.
The first to feel this change are the children. They benefit from the change of dietary, and there goes the first advantage amidst others. A system which ones was vegetarian in nature, because of either the parents’ pocket dilemma or love of animal husbandry, turns delicious evidenced in the children’s oil-shinny mouths after the agape. Indeed there will be some blood spilt in the name of wendo modhial (distinguished visitor) at any cost.
Secondly, those kids who either daily go in birthday suits or tattered clothes would that day benefit from the textile products or mitumba, for their parents, the host, cannot bear shame of not affording their offspring some clothes. They are clothed with the Christmas reserve attires. Not only the children but also the house is adorned to kill.
Everything is well set.
The parents also get in their Sunday best even if the visitation day happens to be in the middle of the week. The children’s etiquette would change for the best just to show the visitor that they are ‘always’ hospitable and well-mannered even if that wasn’t the case. But once the visitor has gone, the home meter gauge reads back as it were three days before the actual visit. All in all the change would be felt. This mannerism of the children is what struck me most not only in that sermon but also in places we visited during our pastoral activities at the parish, by then.
Once I was helping with the distribution of the Eucharist in three different outstations. There was a phenomenon that began in the first outstation and spread in all the three. It was the case of real pecking orders during communion. Notice this, when there is a priest concelebrating the Eucharist, the concelebrant would receive the blood of Christ after the main celebrant, and the protocol would follow till the last Christian to commune.
Perturbed by the young Christians-children, who were literally following the order, I wondered at first that the many children who hanged Rosaries on their necks, a sign that they have received the First Holy Communion, were reluctant to come forward to receive the body of Christ. Kumbe, I realized that the line was full of parents and elderly persons; and the young people had to wait for their turn. Then immediately I recalled to mind that famous mannerism when a visitor is at home the children would enjoy the leftovers.
Hardly had the last adult finish with the communion, than the first child woke up and came forth followed by an overwhelming crowd of children. Any how, this struck me most when the same trend got repeated in the two other outstations as if they had the same instructions on this issue of pecking orders during communion. For them it was the case of good manners, I guess.
What about the adults? Well, others would wait for the choir to begin the communion hymn then, inspired by the hymn, they would go forward. Here the choir should be cautious with the type of hymn lest they not inspire such a person even though inspiration cum preparation should flow in the whole celebration. Such are the people the sermon do not make sense, for either the priest has turned the pulpit into a political dais or they have antisermon venom in their blood, they dosed throughout the sermon.
While for the choir members it is a last-minute reception of the Lord after they are done with the singing. Yes, when we sing we double prayer; but remember to receive the Lord meditatively, not in a last minute rush. Yet others would just find themselves moving to receive the body of Christ. What prompts this lot is to counter the disturbances caused by other faithful heading for the table of the Lord. Another funny lot gazes at each other to see who goes first…
There is this specific old man, call him Mzee Cornelius, whom I have seen through out my lifetime at my home parish as a catechumen until now. Cornelius indeed has a unique style of receiving communion just like other jopunj dini, catechists. He would always wait for the singing to go half way as he nods to the tune no matter the language of the song, and then solemnly walk to the Altar in a contemplative posture and steps that occasionally would annoy those who follow him at his promptly overtaking him speedily as if on a highway. Reaching the Altar, he would kneel down, bow with clamped hands close to his chest and murmur a few words, I guess some sort of prayer, the priest would by pass him twice or thrice, and as if afraid of seeing Christ, close his eyes letting his tongue out to be given the body of Christ. In the mean time the communion hymn would be almost through. He indeed welcomes Christ as a special visitor. How about you? Do not ask me my way.
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