St. Josephine Bakhita

Tuesday Reflection written by Sr. Rosemary Finnegan, O.P.
Readings from: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020822.cfm

Imagine growing up as a young black girl from a wealthy family in Sudan in the mid 1800’s. Suddenly, at age 9, you are kidnapped by slave traders, separated from your family, and made to suffer unimaginable hardships.   Such was the experience of St. Josephine Bakhita’s, and today we celebrate her memory and sainthood.

When she was captured and sold into the human trafficking horror, her captors gave her the name Bakhita, which means ‘Lucky’, hoping her name would attract buyers.  Ironically, she was anything but lucky.  She was sold as a slave numerous times to cruel people who branded and tattooed, beat and lashed her.

Finally, she was taken to Italy and given to a family who used her as their nanny.  Because one of her duties was to take the children to the Catholic Church for religious education classes, she became familiar with the Catholic faith.  Her faith grew, and in 1890 she was baptized and confirmed, taking the name Josephine.

As a young woman in Italy, where slavery was illegal, she was able to join the Daughters of Charity.  With this community of women, she lived as a gentle presence working as a cook and doorkeeper.  It wasn’t long before the children at the Sisters school loved her.  She would say to them: “Be good, love the Lord, and pray for those who do not know Him.  What a great grace it is to know God!”

Her final years were spent in pain and sickness, and when she died in 1947, thousands came to pay their respects to the former slave.  In 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized her saying she was “a woman of heroic goodness.”  She is the patron saint of victims of human trafficking.

As we celebrate St. Josephine Bahkita this day, we also acknowledge February as Black History month, and we recognize what our African American brothers and sisters have endured as well.  Unfortunately, many of the social ills that St. Josephine suffered are still present today.  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 worse. 4.5 million children are exploited sexually—and those numbers are rising.[1]  Sadly, too, only last week we learned of bomb threats to at least 17 historically black colleges and universities in our country.

As we continue to work for racial justice within ourselves and our community, we can implore St. Josephine to help us.  Her trials were many but her faith was strong.  These simple but powerful words of hers can still challenge us, too:  "The Lord has loved me so much. We must love everyone.”