Reflection For the Memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita, February 8, 2022
AS THE MASTER DESIRES
Today is the memorial of Saint Josephine Bakhita. Permit me to base my reflection entirely on her life and experiences.
Josephine was born in Darfur, Sudan, in 1869. When she was nine years old, her parents were killed and she was kidnapped and sold into slavery. She was abused, mistreated, and sold five times throughout the slave markets in the Sudan. Her life was marked by severe brutality, and her body bore one hundred and forty-fourscars from beatings. Of all that she underwent, this remains outstanding: through a combination of branding and tattooing, Josephine suffered the traditional Sudanese practice where a pattern was cut into her skin with a razor. To ensure scarification, salt was poured into the open wounds. When it was finished, 140 intricate patterns were carved into her breast, torso, and arm. She also faced countless beatings and lashings from a revolving door of owners as well as a forced conversion to Islam.
In 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant and brought to Venice. There Josephine came to hear about the Lord Jesus. She desired to know more about this good master and loving God.
Josephine received her freedom under Italian law and sought Christian initiation. She understood her earthly freedom. And through that liberty, she was able to rejoice in the spiritual freedom she received in Jesus Christ, who loved her and gave himself up for her. It was in her baptism that this holy woman took the name “Josephine.” She could not remember her tribal name from her youth since slaves did not have names. The slave traders simply referred to her as “bakhita,” which means fortunate. In sum,her story is map of the untold hardship which many hapless individuals pass through even to this day.
So, the life of this powerful saint is one example of the Church’s immense capacity for witness in our world today and of her ability to offer a beneficial contribution to humanity’s struggle with darkness and hopelessness.
Saint Josephine gives us all a scarred and human face to the evils of human trafficking, racial tension, and of the brutality found in the peripheries. Her life demands a response. It gives us an option as it becomes a compelling guide to us of the joy of freedom, the peace found in liberation, and the richness of love and acceptance.
Forgiveness. Josephine endured unimaginable hardships in her life, but she showed mercy. “If I were to meet the slave traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me,” she once said, “I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and religious today. The Lord has loved me so much. We must love everyone.” In the face of inhuman trials, she only saw the face of Christ. It is better to speak of what helps after toil than to dwell on bitterness
Josephine’s abduction was so singularly traumatic, she later recounted, that she forgot her birthname. Saddled with the ironic Bakhita, she nonetheless grew into her new moniker, and found spiritual fortune in her true identity as a child of God.
In a recent report, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that one in six endangered run-aways has likely been trafficked. Globally, the statistics are worst. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million exploited sexually—and those numbers are rising.
Taken from her family and trafficked, Josephine found physical freedom in an Italian convent and spiritual freedom in God. Today, she is considered a kindred spirit to those who are trafficked worldwide.
In her years as a doorkeeper, Josephine exuded unshakable grace. The people of Vicenza warmed to her quickly, calling her “black mother.” Though she carried the physical and psychological scarring of her years as a Sudanese slave, she never lost her faith. “O Lord,” she once said, “if I could fly to my people and tell them of your goodness at the top of my voice, oh how many souls would be won!” After she died, it was written that her mind was always fixed on God, while her heart was still in Africa. Josephine showed what can be overcome when we hold to our faith.
The story of Josephine is one in a billion. Today is set aside like the Sunday nearest to it to speak about the evils of human trafficking and exploitation. The slave seller is always as guilty as the slave buyer and an unholy silence is a subtle and confirmed approval of an ongoing ill. We all must work against whatever reduces human value. Be kind to house boys and girls, treat sales girls and boys as humans, never send a child to hawk for you on the highways and the byways.
Peace be with you.
@Fr. Osemhantie Okhueleigbe
Feb. 8, 2022.
