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Home | Stories | The Rev. Rachel Carnegie Reflects On The Comfort of Community

The Rev. Rachel Carnegie Reflects On The Comfort of Community

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En Español

We have invited writers to explore what it means to live faithfully in community. What can we do in partnership that we cannot do alone?

Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road,

while he was opening the scriptures to us?

Luke 24:32

One of the most painful moments of my working life was making a condolence visit to Anna, a widow in Uganda, who was dying from an AIDS-related illness. Anna knew she had just a few weeks to live and had been preparing her son, James, to take over as head of the family. Anna was investing all her hope in James, a wonderful boy, leader of his church youth group and a musician who played the lyre. Then one day James unexpectedly fell ill and quickly died. His mother was heartbroken. Who would now care for her younger children when she died?

I visited Anna soon after James’s death. At that time I was working with a project assisting communities affected by HIV. We sat under the eaves of her thatched hut sheltering from the rain. We cried and prayed together.

In the midst of praying, we both had a sudden sense of our hearts burning within us – a feeling of the Spirit’s presence. Other women in the community joined us in prayer. Anna still grieved, but she also felt a comfort in knowing that others would care for her orphans. She was not alone. Our deep anxiety lifted. We all had a sense that together, bound by love and mutual care, we could recover hope. Were not our hearts burning within us?


THE AUTHOR: The Rev. Rachel Carnegie is the Co-Executive Director of the Anglican Alliance, bringing together the development, relief and advocacy agencies of the Anglican Communion.

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We invite you to join us as we encounter this Lenten journey together. Know that you are in our hearts and prayers this season as we invite you to pray for the people we serve and for our staff and friends who commit their lives to healing a hurting world. 

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In English

Hemos invitado a las autoras y autores a que exploren qué significa vivir con fe en comunidad. ¿Qué podemos hacer en comunidad que no podemos hacer solos?

Y se dijeron el uno al otro: —¿No es verdad que el corazón nos ardía en el pecho cuando nos venía

hablando por el camino y nos explicaba las Escrituras?

Lucas 24:32

Uno de los momentos más dolorosos de mi vida profesional fue cuando me tocó visitar y darle el pésame a Anna, una viuda de Uganda que se estaba muriendo de una enfermedad producida por el sida. Anna sabía que le quedaban pocas semanas de vida y había estado preparando a su hijo James para ser la cabeza de la familia. Anna había puesto todas sus esperanzas en James; James era un muchacho formidable, un líder en el grupo juvenil de la iglesia y un músico talentoso que tocaba la lira. Pero repentinamente James se enfermó y murió. La madre estaba desconsolada. ¿Quién cuidaría sus otras hijas e hijos cuando ella muriera?

Visité a Anna poco después de la muerte de James. Yo trabaja en un proyecto de ayuda a comunidades afectadas por el sida. Allí nos sentamos. El alero de su chocita de hojalata nos protegía de la lluvia. Lloramos y oramos juntas.

Durante la oración las dos sentimos que nuestros corazones ardían con la presencia del Espíritu. Otras mujeres de la comunidad vinieron y se unieron a nuestra plegaria. Anna seguía afligida, pero también la consoló saber que otros de su comunidad cuidarían sus huérfanos. No estaba sola. Nuestra profunda ansiedad se alivió. Sentimos que juntas, unidas por lazos de amor y preocupación mutua, podríamos recobrar esperanza. ¿No es verdad que el corazón nos ardía en el pecho?


LA AUTORA: La Rvda. Rachel Carnegie es co-directora ejecutiva de la Alianza Anglicana, que reúne las agencias de desarrollo, alivio e incidencia política de la Comunión Anglicana.

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Te invitamos a que nos acompañes a nosotro en este recorrido de Cuaresma que haremos juntos. Pensamos y oramos por ti en este tiempo, y te pedimos que ores por la gente que servimos, así como por nuestro equipo y amigos que dedican sus vidas a sanar un mundo que sufre.

Sí, quiero mi meditación cuaresmal diaria

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