How has your Lenten journey been so far? Does Easter seem a long distance away? Are you already losing spiritual steam? Here’s a true story for you that will hopefully restore your energy.
As I write this letter Mauro Talini is nearing the end of a 9000 km bicycle trip which began on November 29 in La Paz, Bolivia and ended at Cape Horn (southern tip of South America). Who is Mauro Talini and what was the purpose of this long journey? Mauro Talini, 36, is an Italian cyclist from Viareggio. In 2007 he cycled from Italy to Nordkapp, Norway (northern limit of Europe). Is this a long distance Lance Armstrong? You might think he would qualify for the Tour de France or the Olympics, but that is not his goal. Mauro Talini is diabetic and insulin dependent. His bicycle tours are called “Diabetes No Limits”. He is out to prove that the human spirit is greater than physical obstacles. But his South American tour has another important goal, a spiritual goal, which is the real purpose of his long bike ride.
This time Mauro has adopted an important cause for his bicycle tour, raising funds for the “City of Hope” in Riacho Grande, Brazil. This project is directed by the Father Kolbe Missionaries of the Immaculata (a Catholic secular institute of women missionaries). The Fr. Kolbe Missionaries have been working among the poor of South America for more than thirty years. The City of Hope is currently under construction in a very poor area near Sao Paolo where the Missionaries have an apostolate. Mauro’s trip “1 Bike, 1000 Dreams” hopes to raise money to complete the “city” which will include a welcoming center for children, classrooms, a sporting field, and other buildings. If you would like to check out Mauro’s odyssey and learn more about the project, here are some links (they’re mostly in Italian) www.Maurotalini.it (blog); www.gpsweb.it/talini; www.aipkolbeonlus.org.
For Mauro the bicycle tour is also a journey within, a journey with the Lord. He carries with him only his insulin, a light tent (at times he had to camp out in the Argentine desert), and funds for food. He depends on people along the way for his lodging. His is a journey of hope, for those with physical limitations, for those with spiritual limitations, and especially for the poor of Riacho Grande. He is an example of faith in divine Providence and the power of God that works through grace. Now, did you think you had a cross too heavy to bear? Mauro has a cross too, diabetes, but that doesn’t stop him from making strenuous and long bike tours. Our journey to Easter seems long, but day by day we have God’s promise that He will provide what we need. We only have to ask for it, …and keep pedaling!!Happy Lent to all.
Fr. Hildebrand
No comments:
Post a Comment