We are in Mahatsandri, the southernmost tip of beautiful Madagascar. Another home on earth. A homeland that Christ commanded us in the gospel to see as our own and not a foreign one. . When you travel through the innermost regions of the Toliar region, which is, I confess, the region that overwhelms me, you feel that every time you are greeted by this electrified feeling, it diffuses into your being and transforms the volume of dust that violently invades your tired lungs into pure oxygen that renovates your whole being and gives you the strength to begin or continue this work.

“There’s a lot of work here…”. What a truly beautiful rejoinder in the desolate march towards the most impoverished villages of this country, which nevertheless hide an immense wealth, a great unexpected treasure, the simple and pure Faith. Let us not forget that this journey is a journey towards Holy Baptism. March to Death and Resurrection. This is our purpose .

So we arrived at our destination. Here you find that there is indeed no communication with the outside world. We are in Mahatsandri, which is located near the sea that looks from the island of Madagascar towards the African continent and welcomes the waves of neighbouring Mozambique.

The light of Christ is always shining

From Friday when we arrived until Sunday afternoon there were 165 baptisms. On Sunday night they all broke out in hymns, dances and songs. “We can sing, Father, until the morning,” they said to me, and I accepted their proposal, sharing their joy and elation of spirit. Let them sing, I thought, now that the Light now dwelt in their hearts. Today is indeed a day of Light. Their new garment, Christ himself.

The next day we celebrated Divine Liturgy in Beheva. It is the new village added to our Church. We chose the shade of an African tree for our Holy Temple. Under it the new converts of the village gathered. A little further on, their interested brothers and sisters who have not yet received Holy Enlightenment. The words now come out of our mouths spontaneously and our hearts cannot contain what we feel in this holy moment:

Today we celebrate the first Divine Liturgy in your village. You should be happy for this priceless Treasure that you have been worthy to receive into your hearts through Holy Baptism. Keep this Treasure intact within you. And do not forget, my brothers, to pray for us too. We are now a part of your existence. And you are part of ours. We all live for Christ. Although you do not yet have a Holy Temple to worship in, God will soon provide one with the help of your brothers and sisters from other parts of the world. But do not forget that the place of worship of our God is mainly in our hearts. “Within us is the kingdom of heaven”. It is through hearts that creation is transformed and renovated and even this tree is transformed by God’s grace into the most beautiful Holy Temple in the world. Today a new day has dawned in Beheva. Do not forget this holy day. Pray for us too, so that with you we may always live this New Day.

Pray that we may share this common cup together until our last breath. Until that day when we all become one in Christ. For Christ. That is our true paradise and perfection of the toil and struggle of this present life. Welcome to this Blessed morning Beheva Mahatsandri. Madagascar. Africa. Land of God and His people, blessed and blessed. “

Monk Polycarp