On 30 April, a small book of biblical meditations was released, written by our Claretian brother Manuel Ogalla, currently assigned to Claret House (Harare) as head of formation in Zimbabwe.
The book, titled Transformative Encounters. Women with their Eyes Fixed on Jesus, has been published by a local religious congregation (Little Children of our Blessed Lady – LCBL) as material for their ongoing formation and preparation for their General Chapter.
In fact, this work was born out of a compilation of the conferences Ogalla delivered during the Spiritual Exercises for the chapter delegates.
Through the stories of eight women who encountered Jesus and whose lives were transformed, the author unfolds various calls and challenges for consecrated life in our here and now.
For example, Mary of Bethany invites us to a prayerful discipleship attentive to the Word; the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar encourages us to reconcile with our true selves; the Syrophoenician woman sheds light on the challenge of interculturality; and the woman bent over by an evil spirit pushes us to denounce the structures of sin that oppress human beings.
Fr Manuel Ogalla skilfully weaves together a warm, inviting language for contemplation with academic rigour, supported by a rich critical apparatus where the reader can engage with various exegetical works and biblical spirituality commentaries.
