Saturday, August 21, 2010

Masai Version of the Apostles' Creed

      This version of the Apostles' Creed was created by Fr.Vincent Donovan. Fr.Donovan was a Catholic missionary to Africa, working mostly with the Masai people in Tanzania from 1955-1973. Fr. Donovan was also a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers, a Catholic Missionary group with a rich history of serving the poor and marginalized.
      Fr.Donovan worked to incorporate Christianity into the Masai culture rather than transform Masai culture, making it Christian.  I highly recommend his book Christianity Rediscovered.

Masai Apostles' Creed

We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created man and wanted man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the earth. We have known this High God in the darkness, and now we know him in the light. God promised in the book of his word, the Bible, that he would save the world and all nations and tribes.

We believe that God made good his promise by sending his son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing that the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He was buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from that grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.

We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love, and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe.
Amen

1 comment:

  1. this is the way to do it. And here is the Maori Evening Prayer:Lord,
    it is night.
    The night is for stillness.
    Let us be still in the presence of God.
    It is night after a long day.
    What has been done has been done;
    what has not been done has not been done;
    let it be.
    The night is dark.
    Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
    rest in you.
    The night is quiet.
    Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
    all dear to us,
    and all who have no peace.
    The night heralds the dawn.
    Let us look expectantly to a new day,
    new joys,
    new possibilities.
    In your name we pray.

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