Sometimes certain things happen and one wonders why it should be so. “Why should we come to worship the Creator and a creature should distort our plans? Can’t God stop the storm from disturbing us during worship?” I kept asking myself these questions.
I came to bury one of my uncles in my hometown Afife in the Volta Region of Ghana last Saturday, June 1, 2024 and stayed back to attend Mass on Sunday before leaving to my station, where I work as a Sister.
Sunday, June 2 was the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and we were all to converge at Afornyaga, a suburb of Afife for the occasion. That morning, my nieces and I have prepared and were waiting to get motorbikes to go for the celebration, since that was the only means to get there. We left home 9:20am, though the Mass was to begin at 9am. I was so angry within me.
On the way, the motorbike I boarded stopped abruptly. I asked the rider and he said there was no fuel. “Oh my goodness!”, I shouted and angrily asked, “Don’t you have anything to be measuring the level of the fuel”. He smiled and said I shouldn’t worry and that we would get there.
We eventually got there around 9:45am and luckily for me, procession has just started. Rev. Fr. Franklin Adzaho, the Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Quasi Parish, Afife and the host, Fr Anthony Senanu Kutumpa, the Associate Priest of St. Theresa’s Parish, Abor and Fr. Paul Chinonso, SC, the Abor Community Superior of Servants of Charity were in procession with the Mass Servers to begin Mass. I took a deep breath and thanked God.
I joined the Mass with elated spirit and I could see the same joy on the faces of the people of God gathered. We all started the Gloria when all of a sudden, a heavy storm broke in accompanied with rain. It was so devastating! The men ran around to remove the canopies as some of us, including the three Priests celebrants of the Mass held the canopy stands to prevent it from hurting people.
“Quick! Move to Fathers’ tent and remove the canopies” I told one of the guys. He ran towards the Priests and others followed. Mass Servers carried the Altar, struggling with the storm and sent it to a nearby classroom. Soon, we all scattered and entered the classrooms.
In the classrooms, thoughts started running through my mind about how I started the journey and what was going on. I asked myself why God allowed those things to happen; but couldn’t get any answer.
I got up and moved towards the entrance, praying in my head. Seeing the chairs turned upside down, benches scattered and everything disorganised, I became sad; but an encouraging statement came to my mind, “The creature cannot stop the plans of the Creator”.
I took some shots of the distorted venue and moved to the next classroom. I met the Priests and the people in that room praying the rosary. I went to the rest of the rooms and told them to also pray the rosary. Soon the whole congregation was praying the rosary.
Not too long, the storm subsided. One of the guys moved through the rain to the venue and started raising up the chairs. Others followed. They packed some of the chairs and benches to the chapel. Since the chapel could not contain all of us, some remained in the classroom and the Mass continued at two places concurrently.
Fr Anthony Senanu Kutumpa, the Associate Priest of St. Theresa’s Parish, Abor and the main celebrant of the Eucharist presided over the Mass in the chapel while Fr. Franklin Adzaho, the Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Quasi Parish, Afife and the host, concelebrated with Fr. Paul Chinonso, SC, the Abor Community Superior of Servants of Charity in the classroom.
Soon Mass was over and we have to go out to proclaim Christ to people of the Village. Fr. Franklin announced that those who have faith and could walk through the rain should follow in the procession with the Body of Christ through the village.
Everybody including the old ladies followed and we were all jubilating and praying in the muddy rain. We stopped at and blessed five communities of Afornyaga outstation of Afife. Surprisingly, the elders of the various Communities were also waiting for us in the rain, by the small Altars made at the various stopping points.
The creature could not prevent us from worshipping the Creator. Through the intercession of Mother Mary, the storm could not prevent us from worshipping our God.
By Sr. Agnes Mercy Nyatsoe, SMMC. (Sister Communicator)
