Retreat of the French speaking African community in Jaffa

Prayer, a primordial act in the life of a Christian, needs more attention, especially in the lives of our brothers and sisters who are migrants and refugees. They have to work very hard, for long hours and therefore often have difficulty in the way they practise their life of prayer and their relationship with God. A large number of them expressed the desire to understand, deepen and improve their relationship with God and their prayer life.

Thus, we decided to emphasize formation in prayer and help them rediscover the importance of prayer in their daily lives and with their families. Father Fidelis Abang, one of the chaplains of the community, delivered a teaching about prayer in all its dimensions: the utility of prayer, how, when and where to pray. He also explained that it is important to take into account how others see us and their perspective in regard to our lives, our ways of being, our reactions and our behaviour to others because this helps us define the true meaning of our relationship with God and helps us improve our Christian lives. In fact, God speaks to us primarily through others and through them we can live concretely our lives as children of God.

We participated in the mass that was celebrated in the chapel of the Salesian Fathers, which was followed by a fraternal meal. We then visited the Chapel of Adoration of the nuns in Beit Jemal. We went to the hill that commemorates the battle between David and Goliath. At 16.00, we went to Deir Rafat for adoration and to pay our respects to the Holy Virgin Queen of Palestine by praying the rosary.

The day was a rich experience for one and all. We took leave of one another with the desire to deepen our faith and our relationship with God.