Christmas Meditation on Bakhita House at the Christmas Celebration in Westminster Cathedral on 20th December 2023
Not far from here, there is a very special house. I think of it as a miracle house. I would like to tell you about it.
It is a home and place of healing for many, many women who have escaped or been rescued from situations of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. The house is called Bakhita House. But more about the name in a minute or two.
I received a Christmas card from the guests in the house – well, technically from their cat, called Marley. He told me of some of the things he hears the women say: ‘This is a home, not a house because it means everything to me’; ‘Here I have a chance to restart my life, to “transfer” my life’. Another one said: ‘Here I have found my strong inner power’ and ‘Here I’ve felt very welcome, for before I came here I’d had a very hard time.’ And then, most beautifully, ‘We would also like to thank you for seeing us like daughters of God and not like a problem or burden, for believing in us, for giving us hope and faith.’
In Bakhita House, the light of Christ shines brightly, like the star that guided the wise men to Bethlehem.
I have also, just yesterday, received this description of life in Bakhita House that the guests and staff share:
‘Our many women are all shining stars who we journey alongside and learn so much from.
‘They have survived brutality because of their resilience, as they heal, they reach out and help each other. They regain hope for a better future and share this with all of us. They unite when one has a bad day and as a community overcome any difficulty placed in their path. Their thoughtfulness and patience around others, volunteers and staff, shines through day after day. They allow each other to have a voice, so everyone is equal, rebuilding dignity and showing respect. By doing all of this they come together in harmony and an unquestionable love.’
Another comment was this: ‘Whilst gathered together to sing Christmas songs, I saw women from ten different religious communities sing in eight different languages. Such a gathering is a lesson to us all, to live alongside others in peace.’
Bakhita House, then, is a place of healing. In faith, we see such healing as a gift of God, made visible in Christ, for his victory over evil is won by his power as God; and in his humanity, he shares that victory with us. In his person, he binds together the power of God and the frailty of our humanity. In him, the vulnerable child in the manger, we are healed, for in him we are lifted up.
Great little one, whose all-embracing birth,
Lifts earth to heaven, Stoops heaven to earth.1
But what about the name, Bakhita House? I almost forgot.
It comes from a woman born in Darfur, in 1869, who at the age of eight was abducted and made a slave for twelve years. She was constantly badly treated, but most horrifically, when 114 intricate patterns were cut into her flesh and the wounds filled with salt to ensure permanent scarring.
Eventually, she was taken to Italy and ended up entrusted to the care of the Canossian Sisters. Of them, she said: ‘Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and introduced me to that God who from childhood I had felt in my heart without knowing who he was.’ She was baptised and given the name Josephine, having totally forgotten her childhood name and been given the name Bakhita by her slave masters.
Towards the end of her life, spent in service in the convent, Josephine Bakhita was asked what she would do if she were to meet those who had tortured her. She said that she would kneel before them and kiss their hands since through them she had come to know Christ Jesus.
As we contemplate her story and as we ponder on the wonder of the birth of Jesus, let us take to heart the words of Jesus himself who said to his disciples: ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’ (Luke 10:23-4)
We are blessed indeed!
A happy Christmas to you all. May Christ guide your steps, heal your hearts and give you his lasting peace. Amen.
✠ Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
1 In the Holy Nativity of our Lord by Richard Crashaw
Photo: Mazur/CBCEW.org.uk