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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS📚COMMUNITY LiturgyOfTheWord for Sun Mar 22nd-Sat Mar 28th, 2026 @CharlesOngoleJohn, UGA

https://youtu.be/t4_2rADUNmQ?si=2cUa-KfmMZkkbvRI

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 COMMUNITY, Sat Mar 07th, 2026  ... Saturday Of The Second Week In Lent, Year A

1ST READING

________________

Micah 7:14-15,18-20

Shepherd your people, [O Lord,] with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old. As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt I will show them marvellous things. Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger for ever because he delights steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

The Word of The Lord!.

Responsorial Psalm

________________

Psalm 103

R. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all within me, his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.

R. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

It is the Lord who forgives all your sins, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with mercy and compassion.

R. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

He will not always find fault; nor persist in his anger forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so strong his mercy for those who fear him. As far

R. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

As the east is from the west, so far from us does he remove our transgressions.

R. The Lord is compassionate and gracious.

The Word of The Lord!+

ACCLAMATION

_________

Luke 15:18

R. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.

R. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL 

_______________

Luke 15:1-3.11-32

At that time: The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me. And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants." And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to make merry. "Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound. But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found."'

The Gospel of The Lord!.

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

A good shepherd seeks out the lost sheep of his fold. While they are in the fold, he ten them with compassion and love, protecting, guiding, teaching and nurturing them in mercy This is exactly what the father did in the story of the prodigal son. There is one character however, that we must not imitate in the parable. We ought not to be infuriated at the joy d our Father when His lost son is found. Rather, we should rejoice with heaven when a sinner repents. The prodigal son returned safe and sound; unhurt and in his right senses, to the jo of the father. Let us also try to find and welcome back straying ones into the Lord's presence and celebrate in joy with the Father.

*

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saints Perpetua and Felicity

(d. 203)

Saints Perpetua and Felicity’s Story

“When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I said to him, ‘Do you see this vessel—water pot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ ‘No,’ he replied. ‘So also I cannot call myself by any other name than what I am—a Christian.’”

So writes Perpetua: young, beautiful, well-educated, a noblewoman of Carthage in North Africa, mother of an infant son and chronicler of the persecution of the Christians by Emperor Septimius Severus.

Perpetua’s mother was a Christian and her father a pagan. He continually pleaded with her to deny her faith. She refused and was imprisoned at 22.

In her diary, Perpetua describes her period of captivity: “What a day of horror! Terrible heat, owing to the crowds! Rough treatment by the soldiers! To crown all, I was tormented with anxiety for my baby…. Such anxieties I suffered for many days, but I obtained leave for my baby to remain in the prison with me, and being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him, I at once recovered my health, and my prison became a palace to me and I would rather have been there than anywhere else.”

Despite threats of persecution and death, Perpetua, Felicity–a slavewoman and expectant mother–and three companions, Revocatus, Secundulus and Saturninus, refused to renounce their Christian faith. For their unwillingness, all were sent to the public games in the amphitheater. There Saints Perpetua and Felicity were beheaded, and the others killed by beasts.

Felicity gave birth to a daughter a few days before the games commenced.

Perpetua’s record of her trial and imprisonment ends the day before the games. “Of what was done in the games themselves, let him write who will.” The diary was finished by an eyewitness.

Reflection

_________

Persecution for religious beliefs is not confined to Christians in ancient times. Consider Anne Frank, the Jewish girl who with her family, was forced into hiding and later died in Bergen-Belsen, one of Hitler’s death camps during World War II. Anne, like Saints Perpetua and Felicity, endured hardship and suffering and finally death because she committed herself to God. In her diary, Anne writes, “It’s twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground, and maintain our opinions, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when people are showing their worst side, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God.”

Saint Perpetua is the Patron Saint of:

Widows

Mothers of Deceased Sons

**

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 COMMUNITY, Wed Feb 04th, 2026 ... Wednesday Of The Fourth Week In Ordinary Time, Year A

Reading 1

_____________

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17

King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him,

“Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba

and register the people, that I may know their number.”

Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered:

in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service; 

in Judah, five hundred thousand.

Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people,

and said to the LORD:

“I have sinned grievously in what I have done.

But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant,

for I have been very foolish.”

When David rose in the morning,

the LORD had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying:

“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says:

I offer you three alternatives;

choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’”

Gad then went to David to inform him.

He asked: “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land,

or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you,

or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land?

Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.”

David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty.

Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful;

but let me not fall by the hand of man.”

Thus David chose the pestilence.

Now it was the time of the wheat harvest

when the plague broke out among the people.

The LORD then sent a pestilence over Israel

from morning until the time appointed,

and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. 

But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,

the LORD regretted the calamity

and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people,

“Enough now! Stay your hand.”

The angel of the LORD was then standing

at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

When David saw the angel who was striking the people,

he said to the LORD: “It is I who have sinned;

it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong.

But these are sheep; what have they done?

Punish me and my kindred.”

 

Responsorial Psalm

_____________

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (see 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,

in whose spirit there is no guile.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

my guilt I covered not.

I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”

and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you

in time of stress.

Though deep waters overflow,

they shall not reach him.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;

with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R. Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

 

Alleluia

________

John 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;

I know them, and they follow me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

________

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, 

accompanied by his disciples. 

When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,

and many who heard him were astonished. 

They said, “Where did this man get all this? 

What kind of wisdom has been given him? 

What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 

Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,

and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? 

And are not his sisters here with us?” 

And they took offense at him. 

Jesus said to them,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place

and among his own kin and in his own house.” 

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,

apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.

He was amazed at their lack of faith.

*

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

In today’s gospel, many of Jesus’ Nazarene neighbors “took offense” at him and his words because they thought they “knew” him. And what they knew about him didn’t match what they were witnessing.

They were seeing and hearing Jesus in the flesh, right before their eyes! Why, we wonder, couldn’t they realize he was teaching with authority, that he was something special, that he was speaking the words of truth and life?

I believe it’s because they were human. And we humans like to think that we know best. And so, they weren’t open to the amazing gift standing right before them.

Like them, sometimes it’s hard for us to see the potential, the wisdom in people we have prejudged. We let past experiences and preconceived ideas cloud our perceptions and close our minds.

This leads us to judge others more severely than we judge ourselves, even though, as Christians, we know Jesus has told us not to (Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37). But at times, we fail and we give in to what almost feels like second nature.

Yet with prayer and reflection, we can find the freedom to suspend that impulse.

With God‘s help, we can open our hearts and grant others the grace that comes from trying to know and understand them, without pre-empting.

As we see and listen to them with our hearts, without judging, we allow God to work through them. And we thereby share in God’s love and divine plan.

Lord, help us to pause, take a breath, and seek your wisdom and Divine Love, this day and every day, whenever we are about to judge another harshly. Amen.

*

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Joseph of Leonissa

(January 8, 1556  – February 4, 1612)

Saint Joseph of Leonissa’s Story

Saint Joseph of Leonissa was born at Leonissa in the Kingdom of Naples. As a boy and as a student in early adulthood, Joseph drew attention for his energy and virtue. Offered a nobleman’s daughter in marriage, Joseph refused and joined the Capuchins in his hometown in 1573 instead. Avoiding the safe compromises by which people sometimes undercut the gospel, Joseph denied himself hearty meals and comfortable quarters as he prepared for ordination and a life of preaching.

In 1587, Saint Joseph of Leonissa went to Constantinople to take care of the Christian galley slaves working under Turkish masters. Imprisoned for this work, he was warned not to resume it on his release. He did and was again imprisoned and then condemned to death. Miraculously freed, he returned to Italy where he preached to the poor and reconciled feuding families as well as warring cities which had been at odds for years. He was canonized in 1745.

Reflection

__________

Saints often jar us because they challenge our ideas about what we need for “the good life.” “I’ll be happy when. . . ,” we may say, wasting an incredible amount of time on the periphery of life. People like Saint Joseph of Leonissa challenge us to face life courageously and get to the heart of it: life with God. Joseph was a compelling preacher because his life was as convincing as his words.

**

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[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 COMMUNITY, Fri Jan 23rd, 2026 ... Friday Of The Second Week In Ordinary Time, Year A

Reading 1

______________

1 Samuel 24:3-21

Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel

and went in search of David and his men

in the direction of the wild goat crags.

When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave,

which he entered to relieve himself.

David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.

David's servants said to him,

"This is the day of which the LORD said to you,

'I will deliver your enemy into your grasp;

do with him as you see fit.'"

So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul's mantle.

Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off

an end of Saul's mantle.

He said to his men,

"The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master,

the LORD's anointed, as to lay a hand on him,

for he is the LORD's anointed."

With these words David restrained his men

and would not permit them to attack Saul.

Saul then left the cave and went on his way.

David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul,

"My lord the king!"

When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:

"Why do you listen to those who say,

'David is trying to harm you'?

You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you

into my grasp in the cave.

I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.

I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against my lord,

for he is the LORD's anointed and a father to me.'

Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.

Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,

see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.

I have done you no wrong,

though you are hunting me down to take my life.

The LORD will judge between me and you,

and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.

I shall not touch you.

The old proverb says, 'From the wicked comes forth wickedness.'

So I will take no action against you.

Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?

Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!

The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.

May he see this, and take my part,

and grant me justice beyond your reach!"

When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered,

"Is that your voice, my son David?"

And Saul wept aloud.

Saul then said to David: "You are in the right rather than I;

you have treated me generously, while I have done you harm.

Great is the generosity you showed me today,

when the LORD delivered me into your grasp

and you did not kill me.

For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?

May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done this day.

And now, I know that you shall surely be king

and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession."

Responsorial Psalm

___________________

Psalm 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11

R. (2a) Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,

for in you I take refuge.

In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,

till harm pass by.

R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

I call to God the Most High,

to God, my benefactor.

May he send from heaven and save me;

may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;

may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.

R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Be exalted above the heavens, O God;

above all the earth be your glory!

For your mercy towers to the heavens,

and your faithfulness to the skies.

R. Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

Alleluia

_______________

2 Corinthians 5:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

___________

Mark 3:13-19

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted

and they came to him.

He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,

that they might be with him

and he might send them forth to preach

and to have authority to drive out demons:

He appointed the Twelve:

Simon, whom he named Peter;

James, son of Zebedee,

and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges,

that is, sons of thunder;

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,

Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus;

Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,

and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

*

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

Two passages from today’s readings really resonated with me. The first, from the first reading from Samuel, quoted a proverb: ”From the wicked comes forth wickedness.” It made me think about the times I can be small and petty and disgruntled and I did something to get back at someone else. Coming from a place of darkness and meanness can lead to more darkness and meanness. In that reading, David does the generous and right thing by not attacking Saul when Saul did not expect the attack. David admits that he cut the mantel, but he refrained from injury and death and more darkness. It is often so easy to go to that place where we think we deserve to be petty and small and disgruntled. But if we stay there, we won’t ever be in the light. I need to remind myself of that when I feel slighted or ready to lash out. What I would see as a moment of satisfaction isn’t satisfying because “From the wicked comes forth wickedness.” I need to pray for the grace to do the right and the generous action.

The second passage that spoke to me was from the Alleluia: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”  In a world that often seems consumed by division and polarization, we need that message of reconciliation. We can change and become new, thanks to God’s love. How can I I live my life with God’s message of reconciliation? I can start with the “Our Father,” where we ask for forgiveness for our own sins “as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We have to forgive – to take the generous stance as David did – if we are to be trusted with the message of reconciliation.

For today, I’ll pray the “Our Father” and reflect on the reconciliation that’s necessary in my own life for me to live a life in the light.

*

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Marianne Cope

(January 23, 1838 – August 9, 1918)

Saint Marianne Cope’s Story

Though leprosy scared off most people in 19th-century Hawaii, that disease sparked great generosity in the woman who came to be known as Mother Marianne of Molokai. Her courage helped tremendously to improve the lives of its victims in Hawaii, a territory annexed to the United States during her lifetime (1898).

Mother Marianne’s generosity and courage were celebrated at her May 14, 2005, beatification in Rome. She was a woman who spoke “the language of truth and love” to the world, said Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. Cardinal Martins, who presided at the beatification Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, called her life “a wonderful work of divine grace.” Speaking of her special love for persons suffering from leprosy, he said, “She saw in them the suffering face of Jesus. Like the Good Samaritan, she became their mother.”

On January 23, 1838, a daughter was born to Peter and Barbara Cope of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany. The girl was named after her mother. Two years later the Cope family emigrated to the United States and settled in Utica, New York. Young Barbara worked in a factory until August 1862, when she went to the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York. After profession in November of the next year, she began teaching at Assumption parish school.

Saint Marianne Cope held the post of superior in several places and was twice the novice mistress of her congregation. A natural leader, three different times she was superior of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, where she learned much that would be useful during her years in Hawaii.

Elected provincial in 1877, Saint Marianne Cope was unanimously re-elected in 1881. Two years later the Hawaiian government was searching for someone to run the Kakaako Receiving Station for people suspected of having leprosy. More than 50 religious communities in the United States and Canada were asked. When the request was put to the Syracuse sisters, 35 of them volunteered immediately. On October 22, 1883, Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii where they took charge of the Kakaako Receiving Station outside Honolulu; on the island of Maui they also opened a hospital and a school for girls.

In 1888, Mother Marianne and two sisters went to Molokai to open a home for “unprotected women and girls” there. The Hawaiian government was quite hesitant to send women for this difficult assignment; they need not have worried about Mother Marianne! On Molokai she took charge of the home that Saint Damien de Veuster had established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, pride, and fun to the colony. Bright scarves and pretty dresses for the women were part of her approach.

Awarded the Royal Order of Kapiolani by the Hawaiian government and celebrated in a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, Mother Marianne continued her work faithfully. Her sisters have attracted vocations among the Hawaiian people and still work on Molokai.

Saint Marianne Cope died on August 9, 1918, was beatified in 2005, and canonized seven years later. Her life is a model of grace, service, kindness, and love. Saint Marianne Cope: Pray for us!

Reflection

__________

The government authorities were reluctant to allow Saint Marianne Cope to be a mother on Molokai. Thirty years of dedication proved their fears unfounded. God grants gifts regardless of human shortsightedness and allows those gifts to flower for the sake of the kingdom.

**

【DSR LINKS: #dailyscripturereadingscommunity ,

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[ongolecharles]

■ The Second Week In Ordinary Time, Year A; Sun Jan 18th, 2026-Sat Jan 24th , 2026 ..👇🏽

https://youtu.be/lVKk8uDCke0?si=t8AOdnHFofEtXTFq

■ The Third Week In Ordinary Time, Year A; Sun Jan 25th, 2026-Sat Jan 31st , 2026 ..👇🏽

https://youtu.be/qcC7yKbhEr8?si=zBYwKsWO82cGjOLa

[ongolecharles]

DSR 📚 COMMUNITY Liturgy Of The Word Reflections for ...

■ The First Week In Ordinary Time, Year A ; Sun Jan 18th-Sat 24th, 2026 ..👇🏽

https://youtu.be/lVKk8uDCke0?si=t8AOdnHFofEtXTFq

[ongolecharles]

UGANDA ELECTION THU JAN 15TH, 2026

Do you hear popular, democratic celebration or gathering storms and deafening sounds of silence where you are ??🤣😭

Well, this is what I personally witnessed and perceived of this 2025 election ...

I arrived at my Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo, O-SSEM Polling station at 07:30am and patiently waited to cast my three-some vote in the presidential and parliamentary election from 12:09pm-12:11pm.

Herefollowing, are my findings:

* Internet shutdown by the NRM regime was ill-advised from the word go: likely informed of fear for loss of political power, it itself spread fear, distrust and uncertainty among the voters; it was a disincentive that closed out especially youthful voters from voting; and doubtless contributed to the EC Biometric malaise.

* As my case evidently shows above, the election that was due to begin at 7am started very late at 10:55am, four hours late! This was woeful, colossal electoral failure on the part of Museveni's NRM regime, EC Chairman Justice Byabakama and the Electoral Commission.

* Whats more, the much vaunted Biometric Voting system costing Ugandans taxbillions turned out a white elephant that failed face-flat and wasn't used at my polling station!

* Because EC biometrics failed and there was four hours of delay to start of voting, I saw many voters depart the Ten polling stations here. It's likely a large number of these voters never returned to vote.

* Biometric collapse doubtless fuelled voter apathy and consequential abandonment of the citizens' civic and constitutional duty to vote.

* Brute regime violence that was hallmark to these campaigns and the war-like deployment of soldiers, police and partisan goons at and within the environs of polling centres (they were evident everywhere here in Namugongo) greatly scared and consequently marred and drove away many voters from the polling station.

* Contrary to the gazetted EC electronic system that cost the taxpayer very dearly, the voting was suddenly switched to analogue mode! For this failed, unused and dismally substandard electronic system this posits legal election challenges and fiscal accountability repercussions.

* One voter in my O-SSEM polling area was denied to vote by Polling officer when his name wasn't found in her Polling list yet this voters name appeared in the Lists of the Agents in this same Polling station. This ironic EC mess was clear disenfranchisement!

* Only Ten of the Twelve Polling stations here at Uganda Martyrs Catholic Shrine Namugongo initially had Biometric gadgets and Polling assistants. Two didn't and understandably because they were a belated construct? But thanks to default failure of EC gadgets, voting in these two Polling stations was enabled!

* I saw polling officials who were inadequately trained for emergency and troubleshooting interventions especially when the biometric system failed! There were inadequate numbers and slowness in work execution; a few quite old for this exercise!

* Ballot boxes weren't labeled and because of this, some voters mixed their ballots into wrong boxes. This unfortunate yet avoidable mixup contributed to spoilt/uncounted ballots in some instances.

* A few voters had voter location slips and a number thought possessing National ID was entitlement to vote. This spoke to shoddy new voter registration, register display and civic education by the EC! And putting nails in this coffin was violent interdiction of Civic and Human Rights Agencies by the regime.

* Finally, election results at my polling station were publicly counted and announced to us. However, what's always shrouded in disingenuity is their TRUE, ACCURATE DECLARATION .. AS ARE .. all the way to and at the district and National tallying centre. This elephant-in-the-room is where rigging is always refined as the ballots are handled by a select few who largely are members of the brutal yet interested and distrusted Establishment and Status Quo!

The overall exercise was outwardly calm albeit evidently tense in the faces and demeanor of most voters I met. Why was this so? I suppose our political and governance history and reality that this election is and sought to correct weighed heavily on the hearts of most voters.

But in all, governance and leadership is of God. Whilst He alone, in His wisdom and timing knows what's good for Uganda now and going forward, there is no doubt that all actors; EC, President and NRM regimists, Opposition, security forces and all Ugandans in their various shades will account for the actions and inactions in this and all previous elections that amounted to or didn't result in human rights observance, unity and peace of this Nation that stands in His mighty Name!

Indeed, I pray that God's divine Will be done in Christ Jesus!

For God And My Country.

Yours truly in Christ

Charles Ongole John

Daily Scripture Readings (DSR) 📚 Community

UGANDA

#CharlesOngoleJohn

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS📚COMMUNITY LiturgyOfTheWord for Sun Jan 11th-Sat Jan 17th, 2026@CharlesOngoleJohn, UGA

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