The Poor Celebrate Best

Easter is a season of special joy. I discovered this anew when I celebrated an outdoor Swahili Mass a week and a half after Easter in St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Small Christian Community (SCC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The setting was an empty lot in a poor, low-income section of Mikocheni. Bright colored African cloths provided a festive backdrop. Neighborhood SCC members joined the celebration. From the clapping songs to the spontaneous joyful shouts to the women and girls’ ululation (special trilling sound made in the back of the throat), the place was really “jumping”. During the last joyful Easter song the 30 or so little children literally jumped up and down with enthusiasm and excitement. I recalled the wisdom of the saying: The poor celebrate best.

Rev. Joseph G. Healey, M.M.
Nairobi, Kenya
JGHealey@aol.com